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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Wednesday, February 23, 2011 INCIDENTS Jefferson National Expansion NEM Park Employee Seriously Hurt In Arch Accident A National Park Service employee at the Gateway Arch was seriously injured the morning of February 9th while performing maintenance inside the monument's south leg. Maintenance mechanic John Leslie, 55, was assisting a contractor doing electrical work about 11 a.m. when he was briefly pinned between the moving tram and the internal structure of the Arch. Leslie was trapped for about 30 seconds before coworkers freed him. He was released from a local hospital on February 12th and is now recuperating. Park staff provided initial care until St. Louis EMS arrived on scene. The rescue was a joint effort by St. Louis Fire Department, St. Louis EMS and park staff. Midwest Region and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the incident. [Jim Jackson, Acting Chief Ranger] Colonial NHP Falling Tree Leads To Fatal Vehicle Crash A collision with a tree along the Colonial Parkway resulted in the death of a vehicle's passenger and serious injuries to its driver on the afternoon of February 19th. Preliminary investigation indicates that the eastbound Buick Lacrosse was struck by a falling tree near the Jamestown end of the parkway just before 1 p.m. It then left the roadway and struck a standing tree head-on. Passenger L.P., 84, of Hammond, Louisiana, died at the scene; her husband, I.P., 85, was extricated by units from the Williamsburg Fire Department and transported to Riverside Hospital by a LifeEvac helicopter. The Williamsburg area was experiencing strong winds at the time of the accident. Newport News Williamsburg International Airport recorded wind speeds of 22 miles per hour in the afternoon, with gusts of up to 37 miles per hour. Colonial NHP and the James City County Police Department are continuing their investigation of the crash. [James M. Perry, Public Affairs Officer] OTHER NEWS The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/): National Parks of New York Harbor - Secretary of the Interior Salazar, joined by Director Jarvis and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, were in New York City's Central Park last week to introduce President Obama's “America's Great Outdoors: A Promise to Future Generations” report. Shenandoah NP - The Smith Run Fire has burned approximately 2,000 acres in the north district of Shenandoah National Park. Photo. Natural Resource Program Center - The Geologic Resources Division has developed a survey to assess geologic, energy and mineral resource management needs of parks and is requesting your participation. Climate Change Response Program - Dr. Timothy Watkins has been named to a new position as science and education coordinator for the NPS Climate Change Response Program. * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of Communications and the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov). --- ### --- |