Multiple Fatal Crashes Reported Across U.S.

Multiple unrelated fatal traffic crashes were reported across the U.S. Jeremy M. Wetherald, 50, was killed Oct. 5 in Pacific County, Washington, when a southbound driver crossed the center line on U.S. 101 and struck his minivan, which rolled down an embankment; investigators say drugs or alcohol are believed to have been involved. In southern Pima County/Green Valley, Ariz., 77-year-old Kenneth Engle died Oct. 3 after a two-vehicle crash on Arivaca Road in which another driver crossed the center line while negotiating a turn and sideswiped his vehicle; police say speed and impairment were not factors. Tucson police said 78-year-old Teresa Rojo Almeida, who moved into another vehicle’s lane on June 20 and struck median palm trees, died Oct. 1 of her injuries; both drivers were belted and neither was determined to be impaired. In Metairie, La., a man died early Sunday after his vehicle struck multiple curbs and hit a median tree on Veterans Memorial Boulevard; his identity has not been released and toxicology results are pending.