Death Watch: Will Someone You Know Be Next?

11/11/2014             Kayla White and her unborn first son, Braedin

On November 11, 2014, 23-year-old Kayla White burned to death in her 2003 Jeep Liberty on the Lodge Freeway in Ferndale after being rear-ended by a sloping profile Cadillac CTS. Tragically, both Kayla and her unborn child died in the ensuing fire. Her facebook posts indicate that she had just packed her hospital bags for her expected child delivery in mid December.

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04/05/2014            Magdaleno and Raymundo Sanchez Survived (barely)!

On April 5, 2014, Magdaleno and Raymundo Sanchez of were traveling in their 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee in Los Angeles, CA, when it was struck from behind, resulting in severe burn injuries to both.

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03/11/2014      Joseph and Esther DiGiovanni

These two Falling Waters WV residents, Joseph and Esther DiGiovanni, burned to death after their 2004 dangerous Jeep Liberty was rear ended by a pickup truck approaching a road construction site on I81 in Williamsport MD on March 11. The investigators interviewed by the press stated that the rear-end collision caused the fuel tank to rupture igniting the gasoline. Interestingly, the same pickup also struck the rear of a 1994 Chevrolet Blazer, the driver of which declined even being taken to the hospital.

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12/12/2013    Reed Whittaker

A 29-year-old Livermore California resident and Emergency Medical Technician Field Training Officer, Reed Whittaker, burned in his Jeep Cherokee after being rear-ended by a Hummer. The fire quickly spread to the Hummer but the occupants of that vehicle had just enough time to escape their vehicle.

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11/10/2013      Skyler Coughlin-Anderson

Going into the holiday season, on a highway near Boston Massachusetts, this Springfield teenager, Skyler Anderson-Coughlin, was driving in a Jeep Grand Cherokee when he was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer. His father, Todd Anderson states: “He was traveling straight ahead and braked to avoid a number of obstructions, possibly including people, vehicles, and furniture… by the time law enforcement reached the scene, all that was there was a couch cushion.  That is because by that time, other objects and people had moved from the scene… for their own safety… But the bottom line is that Skyler suffered and should not have burned to death, all of which could have been avoided.” Witnesses said that as the dangerous Jeep burned, a body covered in flames stumbled out of the vehicle before falling to the ground dead. Skyler’s Dad had never heard about the vehicle’s faulty design. He sadly stated that had he known dangerous Jeeps were prone to fire, he would have never let his precious teenage son risk his life and ultimately burn to death.

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08/15/2013   Amado Mangual, Lindsey Williams, Yazmin Goldman, Arielle Goldman, Jamin Osborne, Jasmin Osborne, Yvette Williams

Amado Mangual, 49, of Merrillville; Lindsey Williams, 27, Merrillville; Yazmin Goldman, 5, of Merrillville; Arielle Goldman, 3, of Merrillville; Jamin Osborne, 5, of Atlanta, Ga.; Jasmin Osborne, 7, of Atlanta; and Yvette Williams, 35, of Atlanta all burn in their Jeep Cherokee on I-65 after being hit by a semi.

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06/04/2013    Omar de la Rosa

A 62-year-old retired welder burned in his Jeep after being rear-ended by a pickup truck. He died on the Sam Houston Parkway in Texas after his 1993 Jeep broke down, was rear-ended, and exploded into flames.

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10/05/2012    Heather Santor and Acoye’ Breckenridge

Heather Santor (39) and Acoye’ Breckenridge (18), a single young mother, and a teenage friend, burned to death on I81 in Frederick County, Virginia. They were on their way home from West Virginia University on Friday evening 10/05/2012. After their 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee was rear ended by a big rig, all Jeep occupants were witnessed to be alive before the fire took over the vehicle. Heather’s teenage son, Zachary Santor, was pulled from the vehicle just in time to turn around and watch his teen friend and his young injured mother, burn.

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03/06/2012    Remington Cole Walden

Remington Cole Walden, a 4-year-old boy, was killed Tuesday March 6, 2012 despite riding in his child safety booster seat meant to protect him. The 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by his aunt was struck from behind and became engulfed in flames. The driver of the Cherokee was Emily Newsome of Bainbridge Georgia. She escaped from the vehicle and was transported by ambulance to Memorial Hospital. It was her nephew, who was trapped in the vehicle and died. Remington was the precious son of Bryan and Lindsay Walden of Bainbridge.

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01/15/2012    Ana Pina Survived!

Ana Pina, 35, of South Bend, Indiana, was driving a 2000 Jeep Cherokee westbound just east of County Road 325 East on U.S. 30 in Washington Township on January 15, 2012 when she caught fire. Her Jeep was rear-ended by a 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck. Barely surviving, her strikingly beautiful young face, and areas of the rest of her body, had burned beyond recognition. She survived but is in constant pain and forever disfigured.

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11/16/2011      Manuel Bringas-Mejia

November 16, 2011 | Lake Mary, FL | Attorneys for Manuel Bringas-Mejia, 24, say his injuries from the crash were not life-threatening. He died in the fire. Manuel’s cousin, driving the ’97 Jeep Grand Cherokee, survived with burns.

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06/26/2011    Mark, Amanda, Caleb, and Tyler Roe

Mark, Amanda, Caleb, and Tyler Roe were sitting at a stop light waiting for it to turn green when they were rear ended by a drunk driver in a pickup truck in Frederick County Virginia on Sunday, June 26, 2011. Mom and Dad burned to death in the front seats of their 1994 Jeep Cherokee. Their two little boys, Caleb (11) and Tyler (4) were on fire in the back seat. None of them survived the accident.

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05/09/2011    Cole Hazelton

Cole “Coleslaw” Hazelton, a 22-month-old son of Scranton, PA Resident Ashley Hazelton. Coleslaw was killed on May 9, 2011 when the Jeep Cherokee his mom was driving caught fire after a Ford Focus crashed into it driving in Ransom Township Pennsylvania. The passenger, who was the baby’s father, was able to pull the 21-year-old mother out of the flames but could not rescue Baby Coleslaw who was already engulfed in flames.

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02/24/2007    Susan Kline

Susan Kline, a 49-year-old mother of two, died in a fiery accident while driving alone on a New Jersey highway on February 24, 2007. According to police reports, witnesses said she slowed down to avoid a car that was backing up after that driver missed an exit. Mrs. Kline was rear-ended and her 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee burst into flames. Susan Kline’s remains were found in the passenger seat, which evidenced she survived the crash, was aware of her impending death as she climbed to the other seat, and died trying to escape the flames.

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10/31/2006      Jaye Donahoe

On October 31, 2006, in LaPlace, LA, Jaye Donahoe, 32, died in this 2004 Jeep Liberty. Witnesses say it “erupted” in flames and by the time they could find something to break the window to get her out, it was too late.

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02/14/2006    Cassidy Laine “Ditty” Jarmon

Cassidy was born on Jan. 2, 2002, to Cassius and Jennifer Jarmon. She passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2006. Four-year-old Cassidy caught fire when the 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee, with a trailer hitch, driven by her mother, Jennifer, stopped on a two-lane state highway in Cleburne, Texas, and tried to turn into a parking lot. Her red Jeep Grand Cherokee was hit from behind by a white 2001 Chevrolet Lumina. The Jeep burst into flames.

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01/26/2001      John, Lynne, and Nicole Belli

John Belli, his wife Lynne, and/ their baby, Nicole were burned to death when their 1991 Jeep Cherokee, was hit from behind. The driver’s seatback was defective and failed by collapsing rearward in that wreck, thus impeding Lynne’s escape by trapping her between the collapsing front seat in which her husband was riding and the rear seat in which she was riding (their baby Nicole was strapped in a car seat next to her mother in the back seat of the Jeep).  In the lawsuit, it was proved that, as far back as 1978, Chrysler knew that rear mounted tanks were vulnerable and needed to be moved for safety.  They also proved that Chrysler had moved the tank to a secure mid-ship location, ahead of the rear axle and inside the frame rails, in virtually all of the vehicles except the Jeep line.  – Taken from Cash Settlement – 8/7/03.  Belli v. DaimlerChrysler Corp., et al., State Court of Fulton County, Georgia.

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