NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                           MORNING REPORT

To:        All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:      Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:  Thursday, April 18, 1996

Broadcast: By 1000 ET

                            *** NOTICE ***

There was no Morning Report on Wednesday, April 17th, due to problems in
accessing the cc:Mail net.  

INCIDENTS

96-146 - George Washington Parkway (Virginia) - MVA with Three Fatalities

Just after 6 a.m. on Wednesday, April 17th, two drivers - N.T., 26,
and B.C., 26 - got into an argument while heading northbound on the
parkway.  According to witnesses, the two drivers passed each other several
times and were screaming at each other.  They were both traveling at a very
high rate of speed when one cut in front of the other as they approached a
bridge over Pimmit Run.  At that point, both vehicles went out of control,
crossed a narrow grass divider into the southbound lane, and struck two
vehicles.  B.C. and the drivers of each of those vehicles - Nancy McBrien,
41, and George Smyth, 49 - were killed instantly.  N.T. suffered a fractured
ankle, but was otherwise uninjured.  The impact was so powerful that B.C.'s
car virtually disintegrated.  A Park Police lieutenant on the scene described
the accident as one of the worst he'd ever seen.  N.T. was questioned by
Park Police officers, then released pending further investigation.  McBrien
was a Navy reserve officer just returning to work after staying at home to
raise her three small children.  Smyth was a former Montgomery County police
officer.  The parkway was closed for almost eight hours.  Charges against
N.T. are expected.  [Bill Lynch, RLES, NCFDO; Washington Post]

96-147 - Yosemite (California) - MVA with Serious Injury

On Wednesday, April 17th, S.M., 88, was driving west on a narrow,
winding stretch of Highway 140 below the Arch Rock entrance station when he
passed a vehicle in a no passing zone, lost control of his car, and struck a
rock outcropping, causing his car to overturn.  S.M., the sole occupant of
the vehicle, suffered multiple fractures and chest injuries.  A 20-minute-
long extrication effort, including the removal of the vehicle's roof, was
required to free him.  He was transported to Mariposa by ambulance, then
flown to a regional trauma center.  S.M. arrested during the flight, but
was revived and subsequently admitted to the center's intensive care unit. 
During the accident investigation, rangers learned that a missing person
report had been filed for S.M. in his hometown of Placentia, California,
the previous day.  [CRO, YOSE]

                   [Additional reports pending...]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No submissions.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

6(c) Update - On April 15th, Claudia Schechter, director of operations at the
Department's Service Center, was designated by Secretary Babbitt as DOI's
representative for special retirement issues.  Along with the appointment,
she received numerous position descriptions awaiting 6(c) designation,
including about 85 from the National Park Service.  H.T. Leal will continue
to be the Department's point of initial contact on 6(c) issues.  Ranger
Activities is working with the Department to locate correspondence that may
have been submitted by field rangers but not yet acknowledged due to the lack
of any clerical staff in the 6(c) office.  Ranger Activities will attempt to
notify individual rangers by cc:Mail that their correspondence has been
received.  All FERS 6(c) claims have been reviewed by a joint personnelist-
ranger work team and clerical work on them is progressing.  Once position
descriptions awaiting 6(c) designation have been resolved, the Department
should be ready to begin processing individual FERS claims.  [Bill Sanders,
RAD/WASO]

MEMORANDA

No submissions.

EXCHANGE

No submissions.

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators.  Please address requests
for the Morning Report to your servicing hub coordinator.

Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

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