NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Thursday, April 9, 2009
INCIDENTS
Biscayne NP
Deaths Of Father And Daughter Ruled Drownings
The park has provided additional information on the deaths of the father and daughter in Biscayne Bay reported in yesterday's edition. The following was excerpted from an article that appeared in the Miami Herald: The father and daughter who died in a weekend boating accident drowned, the medical examiner's office determined Tuesday, but the question of what triggered the tragedy remained a mystery. The autopsies on P.B., 49, and his eight-year-old daughter, T.A.B., showed neither suffered any trauma, according to the ME's office. How the father and daughter's lives ended in the water - their 17-foot boat showed no evidence of a collision and was found in mangroves switched off - will likely be the focus of the investigation by Miami-Dade detectives. According to the family, P.B., a vice president for Latin American sales with commercial press maker Goss International, was an experienced boater. The deaths were ruled accidental by the ME's office. According to Didier Carod, the park's chief ranger, the girl did not have a life jacket on when searchers found her just south of Black Ledge, though state law requires that a life jacket be worn if a child is younger than six and on a boat less than 26 feet long. Police would not say whether father or daughter had been wearing life jackets while on the boat, citing the ongoing investigation. Pictures of the boat also show a large inner tube on the back, which could potentially be towed by the boat. It is unclear whether it had been used that day. Carod noted that federal law requires that anyone being towed wear a life jacket and that, in addition to the boat operator, a person at least 12 years old must be present to act as a lookout. Father and daughter left Black Point Marina around 4 p.m. on Sunday. That afternoon the wind was blowing at 15 to 20 knots from the southwest on Biscayne Bay, which could create waves of a few feet, Carod said. When the pair hadn't returned hours later, the family called the Coast Guard, touching off a massive search. [Miami Herald] HYPERLINK "http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/989536.html" http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/989536.html
Hot Springs NP
Man Jailed On Felony Charges After Pursuit Through Park
Last November, a Hot Springs officer attempted to stop an unlicensed Nissam Maxima whose driver was believed to have several felony warrants out against him, but the driver refused to stop. A high speed pursuit ensued through the downtown Hot Springs area that reached speeds of 80 mph. The driver eventually went the wrong way up the park's North Mountain exit road, narrowly missing three joggers who had to jump out of the way. After making a circuit of the top loop, the driver headed off the mountain in the same direction, ran a roadblock at the bottom of the hill, then crashed into a park meter and chain link fence while avoiding a second roadblock, sending the vehicle up on two wheels. The driver continued through the Arlington Hotel garage on Fountain Street, immediately across from the park's Arlington Lawn and Bath House Row, heavily used by pedestrians. The Nissan reached such speeds in the garage that it became completely airborne when leaving the hotel's exit ramp. The pursuit continued southbound through Hot Springs City at speeds over 110 mph, and only came to an end when the Nissan suffered a flat tire and crashed on Airport Road. The driver fled on foot and hid in a building but was eventually captured and charged with several felonies. He recently was sentenced to ten years in state prison. The single federal charge of reckless operation was dismissed due to the length of the prison term. [Dennis Stock, Chief Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:
Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - On March 30th, President Obama signed into law the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. The new law has many provisions pertaining to the NPS. A summary is provided.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7533" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7533
Servicewide - Members of the NPS Safety Leadership Council (SLC) met for two days at Point Reyes National Seashore late last month to review the progress of various council workgroups and to define additional actions that SLC members can take to further the creation of a strong safety culture within the service.
HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7534" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7534
Intermountain Region - Kayci Cook Collins, superintendent of El Malpais and El Morro National Monuments, has received a 2008 Southwest agency administrator fire leadership award from the Southwest Coordinating Group.
HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=7497" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=7497
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Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:
HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).
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