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Seven killed in SUV crash (Vehicle of death alert)
AP ^ | Monday, May 10, 2004

Posted on 05/11/2004 10:01:19 AM PDT by presidio9

A rented SUV was speeding at more than 90 mph when it clipped a car it was trying to pass and veered out of control, killing seven people inside, including four young children, authorities said.

The Ford Explorer went airborne, slammed into trees in the median of Interstate 95 and landed on its roof. The accident happened Sunday about 10 miles west of Bangor in south-central Maine.

Two women and a child died when they were thrown from the SUV, while its other four occupants -- a woman and three children -- died inside. Troopers initially thought five people died, but two additional bodies were found when the SUV was lifted, authorities said.

The victims were from South Portland, and four of the children were 8 or younger, said Stephen McCausland, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.

Killed were Kelley Armstrong, 28, and her 4-year-old son; Danielle St. Paulin, 29, and her three children; and Hope Gagnon, 29. St. Paulin's children ranged in age from 4 to 8.

The Explorer was rented from Hertz at the Portland International Jet Port earlier in the day.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: Maine
KEYWORDS: suvs; vehicleofdeath
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To: NewHampshireDuo
she had a great love of race car driving.

Maybe in video games. Race sanctioning bodies don't go out of their way to vet idiots into the sport...

121 posted on 09/27/2004 7:29:38 AM PDT by Axenolith (This space for rent.)
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To: Dead Dog

Nawww... It's just those 1.4L's mated to an automatic's...


122 posted on 09/27/2004 7:30:59 AM PDT by Axenolith (This space for rent.)
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To: NikinMaine; dighton; metesky
everytime i go by i try to see where it happened, but can never find it.. anyone know what mile marker it was?

You're kind of a ghoul, aren't you?

123 posted on 09/27/2004 7:44:12 AM PDT by hellinahandcart
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To: Mr. Jeeves
A couple of months ago I was just entering the I580\I680 interchange where I was working my way to 680 North (my homeward commute) when a young lady made a totally clueless lane change into my left rear tire and fender. Right at contact she freaked out, jerked the wheel and overcompensated with a squall or tires and smoke across the freeway. Hoardes of commuters all managed to have their s**t together and avoid her, then some followed and pointed as she drove off but I was already committed to the exit and, while I gave the CHP a heads up, I figured I was eating any damage I'd have.

I get home and check it out and, aside from some of her paint on my panels it's fine.

Here's the brutal irony though. Next morning, I'm almost to work and I stop at a Chevron for some coffee. The Lord, in his infinite quest to dispense justice and probably get a good chuckle from us rubes, deposits the car that hit me yesterday right next to me. I can tell because it is kinda mashed in the rear wheel well and has VUE paint and tire scrubbings all over it, and I recognize the girl.

I'm standing next to her in line at the register and I just comment "nice accident yesterday, kinda poor on the recovery though" and she looks back and says "huh?" and I go, "Oh, that was ME you hit up their at the 580\680 interchange".

Man, that moment was worth a million bucks. Shock, disbelief, blubbering, crying, Oh I'm sorry, Oh I was so scared, it just went on and on... Finally I said not to worry about it, it didn't do me any damage, just pay a little better attention... It was one of the funniest situations I'd been in in a while...

124 posted on 09/27/2004 7:56:35 AM PDT by Axenolith (This space for rent.)
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To: TommyDale

If you wrecked like that at 90 in a Bradley the interior would look like an explosion at a strawberry jam factory...


125 posted on 09/27/2004 8:02:54 AM PDT by Axenolith (This space for rent.)
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To: antiRepublicrat
Many SUVs are fairly safe, but the Ford Explorer, like the old F-150, is a deathtrap in an accident like that...

Bull Shot! I was travelling left lane of three, on I-95 below Frederickburg, VA, at 80 mph with traffic. I was driving a 83 Ford Explorer XLT with Firestone tires. I had a tire failure on the left rear. Upon sensing a flat, I drove right, through HEAVY traffic, and slowed as I headed over. I wallowed some, and had to dance thru busy traffic, but safely made it to the side... I have a 98 Explorer, now, as well as a 300ZX... It probably wouldn't handle a 90 mph wreck too well, either!!!

You probably idolize Ralphie Nader, too. I owned a Corvair!

It was the DRIVER, and no amount of blame needs go elsewhere!!!

126 posted on 09/27/2004 8:13:57 AM PDT by pageonetoo (I could name them, but you'll spot their posts soon enough.)
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To: antiRepublicrat

I am so glad I traded in my deathtrap Escape and got an ultra-safe F-150.


127 posted on 09/27/2004 8:21:14 AM PDT by rabidralph (Doing the gloating that Republicans won't do.)
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To: hellinahandcart
Like that damn bad penny, it keeps coming back...
128 posted on 09/27/2004 8:51:22 AM PDT by metesky ("Brethren, leave us go amongst them." Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnston Clayton - Ward Bond- The Searchers)
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To: presidio9
Someone needs to say it: Call the Darwin Awards!!

90+MPH in most vehicles, let alone an SUV, is a great way to toss a little chlorine into your gene pool. These three may qualify for group honors, assuming that there are no surviving siblings.
129 posted on 09/27/2004 8:56:10 AM PDT by Redcloak (Vikings plundered my last tag line.)
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To: pageonetoo
I wallowed some, and had to dance thru busy traffic, but safely made it to the side.

That's skilled driving saving you from an accident. The point is had you hit anything, tests show you would have been toast because the vehicle does not protect the occupant (massive passenger compartment intrusion). This is not true for the recently redesigned F-150, which is fairly safe.

Like you I think the whole rollover thing is a bunch of BS. People shouldn't buy a vehicle unless they know how to handle it in all conditions.

130 posted on 09/27/2004 10:03:58 AM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: rabidralph
I am so glad I traded in my deathtrap Escape and got an ultra-safe F-150.

You're doing well if its the latest model.

131 posted on 09/27/2004 10:09:38 AM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: Axenolith

I wouldn't mind driving the Porsche Cayenne(sp) that fast.It has been tested on the track at 165.

If I win the lottery, I will tell you how it handles.


132 posted on 09/27/2004 10:59:33 AM PDT by SeeRushToldU_So (Some days I am more rednecked than other days. Not there is anything wrong with that.)
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To: presidio9
So why was she going so fast? And why in a rented vehicle? And why rent a vehicle at an airport when you're a local person? Who knows why she was stopped at the roadside earlier. Maybe she was having some sort of fight with the other occupant. This might have been some sort of revenge/suicide/death wish thing.

Unless there was some sort of faulty mechanism, it probably is the SUV's fault.

133 posted on 09/27/2004 11:04:53 AM PDT by MHT
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To: SeeRushToldU_So

Once you get up into the 120+ zone you start to enter an area where random stuff can make life interesting really quick. Stuff like rocks, metal debris and those annoying chuncks of semi retreads are among the fun. When you go down over 100 you really need to just pray you can bleed off significant momentum before you either hit stuff or start tumbling.

I got my old 70-1/2 RS Camaro up just shy of 150 for a while once but that car had a good body, new tires, leaf springs, bushings, shocks and struts. Power steering is a hinderance in that zone too.

Another testament to Saturn, I drove my old 1992 SL2 sedan for long periods of time between 100-110, even with the cruise control on. That thing stuck to the ground like glue and even coughed up 27 mpg over a trip that averaged over 100 for 478 miles... Little sucker had 218K on it when it went to the Salvation Army and it still purred along :-)


134 posted on 09/27/2004 8:31:18 PM PDT by Axenolith (This space for rent.)
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To: hellinahandcart

about every 2 months i clean out my inbox, and then come across the confirmation e-mail with my username and password, then come see if there have been any more posts


135 posted on 12/07/2004 8:11:52 AM PST by NikinMaine
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To: hellinahandcart

"You're kind of a ghoul, aren't you?"
no, not a ghoul, i would like to put flowers there.... but on sundays i do put on my grim reaper costume and stalk all the local churches
dont be rediculous, just because you are in America doesnt mean EVERYONE is evil


136 posted on 12/07/2004 8:15:58 AM PST by NikinMaine
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To: MHT

"So why was she going so fast? And why in a rented vehicle? And why rent a vehicle at an airport when you're a local person? Who knows why she was stopped at the roadside earlier"
From what I know, they were trying to make a 4 hour trip in 2 hours, the rented SUV was because none of them had a vehicle that would fit all the people that were going, and from what I am told, they were seen stopped on the highway right before the accident, switching drivers


137 posted on 12/07/2004 8:19:16 AM PST by NikinMaine
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To: NikinMaine
anyone know what mile marker it was?

Look for the pile of mouldy teddy bears and burned out candles.

138 posted on 12/07/2004 8:22:36 AM PST by Tijeras_Slim (I'm here because I'm not all there.)
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To: Tijeras_Slim

I was just in a car that was passed, by a suv doing about 100 mph +... was wondering where they were going in such a hurry, was some one very ill, or something worst. Well 35 seconds later it did not matter much, becouse I came upon the worst sight i have ever seen. Well in my opinion what was being driven would not have mattered. We are really talking about the human body and what it can endure when put up against speed and Wrecked metal. What a waist 7 People gone . Three adults and four children, who where my childrens ages. bottom line REMEMBER for every action ther is a reaction. AND FOR MOST, OTHERS HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE REACTION. Like i have been doing for over a year.


139 posted on 07/27/2005 6:34:37 PM PDT by Just_a_voice_in_the_crowd
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To: Owl_Eagle

Well this was all just wonderful to read.... first off all it is all BS!!!!!!! I knew Kelly VERY VERY well Her mother actually lives in an apartment in my family's home.... SHE WOULD NEVER TAKE A RISK LIKE THAT IF SHE KNEW HER SON WOULD BE IN DANGER. HE WAS SEATBELTED!!!! KELLY WAS A GREAT MOTHER... I don;t even kno how to respond to that... her son, Kristian was like my little brother and still is.... she would never do any thing to harm him... So maybe you will think twice before you LIE about somthing you know shit about.....


140 posted on 11/03/2005 3:09:13 PM PST by Shanny
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