Posted on 03/27/2006 11:34:55 PM PST by lunarbicep
The wife of a Fremont selectman died and two other people were hospitalized this weekend after a sport-utility vehicle plowed through an intersection in Texas and struck a car carrying five New Hampshire residents, authorities said.
Marilyn Gates, 52, was pronounced dead at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, where she was taken after the collision. The accident took place about 10:30 p.m. Saturday in Denton County, northwest of Dallas.
Gates was a flight attendant whose life was spared 5½ years ago when she missed an American Airlines flight hijacked by terrorists and flown into the World Trade Center.
She was in Texas to attend a wedding, said her brother-in-law, Manchester resident Paul Porter.
"She was a terrific person, kind of a take-charge individual. She was very giving of herself, particularly in family matters," said Porter, a former Manchester alderman.
The Sept. 11 tragedy upset her deeply, given the death of the airline passengers and her colleagues.
"She knew them all, because that was her regular crew," Porter said.
Gates was in the back seat of a 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis struck while traveling through an intersection, said Lisa Block, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Block said the car was driven by Eugene Cordes, a selectman in Fremont. Also riding in the car was Fremont selectman Donald Gates, Marilyn Gates' husband.
Both were treated for minor injuries and released from Texas hospitals, Block said.
Two other Fremont residents were hospitalized. Beverly Brooks, a Realtor, was listed in stable condition yesterday at Presbyterian Hospital of Plano. Griffin Cordes, 17, a student at Trinity High School in Manchester, was listed in serious but stable condition last night at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, according to a nursing supervisor on duty.
The accident took place at the intersection of Hebron Parkway and Marsh Lane, Block said.
Stephen Mole of Keller, Texas, was westbound in his 1999 Ford Expedition when he disregarded a stop light and entered the intersection, Block said. He was also exceeding the speed limit, she said.
The SUV struck the sedan, which spun counter-clockwise. Two passengers were thrown from the Grand Marquis, she said.
Block said the Texas Highway Patrol is investigating the incident. She did not know yesterday if any charges or motor vehicle violations had been issued against Mole.
fellow FReepers, please wear a seat belt.
> Two passengers were thrown from the Grand Marqui<
flying thru the air can be dangerous
This reminds me of a good friend of mine.. traveled all over the world, doing some dangerous jobs, and taking up extreme sports,.. finally comes home in one piece, settles down, gets married, has kids, joins a church.. then on the way home from church, 1/2 mile from home, gets smashed by a drunk driver (on his 10th DUI!)...
Of course, it was four-and-a-half years ago, but who's counting...
This is true for everybody. It's amazing that anybody believes anything they read.
Well, those two look so much alike, I know I am always getting them confused!
Yes, and the amazing thing is how those mistakes get reported and re-reported and re-re-reported like a computer virus.
One of my friends is Gene Elston, the former play-by-play voice of the Astros. Last month, he was chosen for the broadcater's equivalent of being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame put out a press release which was then amplified by MLB.com. It said Gene had called Eddie Mathews' 500th homer. Actually, Harry Kalas called the home run because it happened in the fifth inning. Gene did the first two and the last three innings on radio (I have the clip of Kalas' call) and there was no tv for a west coast night game in 1967. They also said he called Nolan Ryan's strikeout that broke Walter Johnson's record in 1983. It's possible he might have done this on television but the clip that survived and MLB.com featured was the radio call by Dewayne Staats. The montage of "famous" Elston calls included calls by Staats and Milo Hamilton.
None of that is to take away from Gene's worthiness for the honor but I was laughing myself silly noting all the mistakes which, of course, found their way into the AP story then ESPN, then CBS, etc, etc.
I've seen a few good write-ups over news I had personal involvement or knowledge in but, more often than not, facts were mispresented or flat-out wrong.
So was President Kennedy.
Maybe the Gates' had just had a heated argument due to her "take-charge" nature and her husband stuck his foot over on the gas pedal in the SUV and let her have "what for."
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