more smoke fire and angels (book) coverage

 

smoke fire and angels

my friend mark robinson

was interviewed by wfsb yesterday

they don't say anywhere in the interview ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE BOOK (which can be purchased through the site smoke fire and angels) go to a fund for the victims and their families. SO I'M SAYING IT (again).

i read half of the book a long time ago when mark gave me an initial draft of the first few chapters. i was impressed then but i am more impressed now. mark not only tells you the story of the victims and those that shared their lives BUT he even tells you about the inner workings of a dump truck, the history (as in geology) of how avon mountain got here. he gives us background on the angels (including one doc who treated people at the scene and disappeared into the smoke never to be identified). mark did amazing reasearch.

the book is $20.00 (all inclusive). order it from the site please (if you get it in borders they keep part of the proceeds). OR if you see me anywhere, i have copies. i'll always have copies with me. just stop me and say HEY A ROSE IS A ROSE, toss one o' them thar books over ta me!

channel 3 video link

Surivor Details Avon Mountain Crash In Book
Author Tells Stories Of Victims, Rescuers
AVON, Conn. -- A survivor of the deadly Avon Mountain crash is telling his story in a new book.A dump truck slammed into traffic at the base of the mountain in 2005, killing five people.Crash survivor Mark Robinson not only lived through the crash, but also interviewed nearly 100 witnesses and victims for the book, “Smoke, Fire And Angels.”“I don’t remember a thing – it’s just a blank in my mind – and so naturally I’ve had a curiosity,” Robinson said. “I was in the front row of this event and I don’t remember a thing.”On July 29, 2005, Robinson said he was on Route 44 headed from Canton to Hartford, where he worked at ING. He said he was thinking about how he should have left an hour earlier.....

smoke fire and angels

just a couple of my previous postings

here
here
and
here

smoke fire and angels is due out

on september 24th. it's the story of the avon mountain accident and those that it effected (far and wide). my friend mark robinson wrote it AND the proceeds from this book are going to a fund for the victims and their families. from what i've read (the first six chapters), it's mighty impressive.

the holidays are fast approaching. this would be a great gift for EVERYONE on your lists. please go to his website and read his story: smoke, fire and angels

note: mark tells me the book will be available at borders. however, they're gonna get THEIR cut. soooooooooo, please consider ordering it directly from mark's website above. no one gets a cut. the proceeds go to the fund.

i've already put in my INITIAL order (there will be more).

the smoke, fire and angels facebook page

just a couple of my previous postings

here
here
and
here

catch my friend mark robinson

being interviewed by diane smith this morning.

it's about his book smoke fire and angels (all of the proceeds are going to the victims and their families) and experiences of/with/at/during the horrific avon mountain crash


image from here

he MUST serve time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

please don't let his age or his looks fool you. please don't. he is NOT a nice man



Wilcox Gets 6 Years In Avon Mountain Crash
By DAVID OWENS |The Hartford Courant
HARTFORD - David R. Wilcox, the former owner of American Crushing and Recycling, was sentenced to 6 years in prison today for his role in the fiery Avon Mountain crash that claimed four lives nearly four years ago.

Six years in prison was the maximum that Wilcox, 73, faced under the terms of a plea bargain he reached with prosecutors in March. As part of that agreement, Wilcox pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree manslaughter and five counts of first-degree assault. He also pleaded no contest to insurance fraud for trying to reinstate liability insurance on his truck in the moments after the crash.

If Wilcox completes his sentence -- he's had two heart attacks and suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure, his lawyer said -- he'll be on probation for three years after he gets out. Judge David P. Gold acknowledged while sentencing Wilcox that it may prove to be a life sentence.
...................

and of course the link to my friend mark's book. mark was in the accident. life starred out. he was lucky. he made it. anyway, all proceeds from mark's book will be going to a fund for the victims and their families

smoke fire and angels

my previous postings about mark robinson and/or the avon mountain crash
here
and
here
and

i had many more, but those links will do for now

i've written about this before

the avon mountain crash AND one of the people i know who was in this horror. my friend mark robinson is writing a book about this day. i have been privileged to read the first six chapters. mark also showed me some of the photographs he's using for the book. oh, the photos i saw were NOT of the crash at all (although i've seen many of those). these photos were new ones. the ones of the survivors AND their angels. stunning portraits. (mark told me this weekend he may be having his portrait taken along with HIS personal angel. i hope that comes to fruition. he was saved by a very young man who just happened to forget his own life was on the line and dug mark out of his twisted wreck of a car smashed by concrete slabs, while a huge bus was either going to soon catch fire OR come lurching at them. oh, this young man was NOT a firefighter or a police officer or an emt. he worked at avon old farms and just happened to run out when the accident occurred). i can tell you with all honesty what i read of the book was astounding. the amount of time and effort and research mark put in was phenomenal. i can also tell you with all my heart and soul, when this book comes out (this summer) every one of us MUST buy a copy of it. buy it you say? oh, did i mention THE PROCEEDS ARE GOING TO BENEFIT THE VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES?

mark also doesn't forget to mention david wilcox either. lots of exhaustive research went into that path too. wilcox will be (hopefully) sentenced this summer. mark hopes to have the book ready VERY shortly thereafter. mark has shared many stories with me (although he still doesn't remember the accident itself at all) from the lives saved and the lives lost that day, to what the familes and victims have gone through to meeting up with mr naafi's father last week when they were at the courthouse in hartford being informed wilcox was going to plead (instead of trial).

mark makes me cry a LOT by the way

so again, when this book SMOKE, FIRE & ANGELS comes out, i will be forcing everyone i know to buy a copy


Crash Survivor Hopes His Book Can Help Promote Healing
By SHAWN R. BEALS | The Hartford Courant
The heartbreaking saga of the 2005 Avon Mountain crash drew plenty of attention Monday after David Wilcox, 73, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault charges.

Behind the scenes, however, the story's human side is getting much more consideration.

The crash is the subject of a book by survivor Mark Robinson, a Canton resident who was severely injured in the crash. The book is called "Smoke, fire & angels," and he's hoping to have it completed in time for the fourth anniversary of the crash in July.

"I just may have a 175-page statement to put on Judge [David P.] Gold's desk in June," Robinson said.
Wilcox is scheduled to be sentenced June 24, and victims will have the opportunity to make a statement in court that day or submit one to the judge.

Robinson was waiting at a traffic light on his way to work in Hartford when the dump truck owned by Wilcox and his company, American Crushing & Recycling, slammed into traffic after its brakes failed as it traveled westbound down the hill......

mark, the ramp is done!

(my friend mark was in the avon mountain crash. he was seriously injured and life star-ed out of there. he is well now and writing a book which i have had the pleasure of reading the first half of. when published, none of the profits will go to mark. so i'm telling you now, WHEN it's published, everyone HAS to buy a copy or two)
Avon Mountain runaway truck ramp set to open

Associated Press
AVON, Conn. -- State transportation officials say a runaway truck ramp on Route 44 in Avon is set to open Friday, more than two years after a fatal wreck and five months after a second crash.Work on the $2.8 million ramp began in November and is the first such ramp built in Connecticut, according to acting Transportation Commissioner Emil Frankel. Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered safety measures in the area after a tractor-trailer lost its brakes and slammed into a furniture store in September. No one was seriously injured. However, four people were killed in July 2005 when an out-of-control dump truck barreled into the same intersection and hit several vehicles, including a commuter bus.........

shout out to todd m. myers

west hartford cop, simsbury volunteer firefighter AND HERO

as i've mentioned before, i have a friend who was in the horrific avon mountain accident. mark was injured so badly, he was lifestar-ed out. he's writing a book (i was privileged enough to be allowed to read the first four AMAZING chapters) about it. oh, and he's NOT writing it for profit (for himself that is). a shout out to mark as well! mark told me a few things about officer myers that were never mentioned in any of the articles written about him. let's just say he MORE than deserves this national honor. congratulations to you officer myers

President Bush Honors West Hartford Officer
Man Risked Life At Crash Scene
By FULVIO CATIVO Courant Staff Writer

President Bush honored West Hartford police officer and Simsbury resident Todd M. Myers Wednesday for risking his life to rescue victims of the horrific July 2005 crash at the foot of Avon Mountain.At an Oval Office ceremony Wednesday, Bush described as "heroic" the efforts of Myers and the four other recipients of the 2005-06 Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor. The four other honorees — two firefighters, a police officer and a highway patrolman — hail from Virginia and California."They will tell you they were just doing their job; I'm telling you they did their job with extraordinary courage," Bush said. "And so it's been an honor to award them this precious medal. And I want to thank you all very much for joining us. Proud to call you fellow citizens."..........

picture: President Bush and U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey pose for photos with recipients of the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007, in the Oval Office. From left are: Officer Kevin Howland of Sacramento; Officer Todd Myers of West Hartford, Conn.; Attorney General Mukasey; President Bush, Sgt. Kirk Van Orsdel of Hemet, Calif., and David Loving, a firefighter from Richmond, Va.

i leave work early on fridays

i stopped at my pop's house yesterday right after work. i had (yet another) eye doctor's appointment. i wanted to make a quick pit stop before continuing on to the center. when i walked in, popi had the tv on. it looked like some sort of accident. yes, avon mountain again. i've mentioned several times how i drove over that mountain for YEARS. i worked in avon park south and lived in west hartford. twice a day EVERY day. most days it was white knuckle driving even in good weather. it wasn't the 'mountain' as much as who else was driving around you. people are nuts. they speed, they follow too closely (even in horrid, snowy, icy or rainy weather) they put their makeup on or read the paper or talk on their cell phones. changes were made and they are GOOD changes but NOT enough changes. i still go out that way on occasion. my doctor is in avon and i have friends in that area. i want to be safe and i want everyone else to be safe too. oh another thing, you CAN'T keep trucks off of route 44. where are they going to go instead? they CAN'T all be sent through farmington center on route 4 (who the f**k decided to have a highway exit and entrance in farmington when everyone knew the town was NOT going to allow the 'historic' route 4 district through the center of town be widened??????). where else are they going to go?

Crash Brings Back Memories Of 2005 Avon Fatal Crashes

Friday’s crash on Avon Mountain has brought back memories from two tragic crashes nearby from 2005.
On Friday morning, a truck driven by Robert Rauch crashed into the Nassau's Furniture store near the intersection of Route 44 and Route 10.
Rauch was taken via Lifestar to Hartford Hospital, where is reported to be in guarded condition.
Mike Bondra, a witness to the crash, spoke with NBC 30's Tom Lewis and said that the recent crash brought back memories from the first crash in 2005.
"I couldn't believe it was happening again," he said.
Witnesses told NBC 30 that it is a miracle the truck did not hit any other cars.
Helen Silansky, a witness, said, "I Just saw all the commotion that was going on and then saw the truck going by and my son-in-law was in this accident that happened two years ago here, so I just got absolutely upset about the whole thing."
On July 29, 2005, a truck careened out of control down Avon Mountain Road, triggering a fiery crash that killed four people and injured dozens. The truck, owned by American Crushing & Recycling LLC of Bloomfield, had a history of brake problems..............

from what i've seen on the television news coverage, mr rauch is a hero. one person said she saw him driving on the mountain and he was proceeding cautiously. then when he realized his brakes went, he keep blaring his horn. he also went out of his way (obviously) to avoid the many cars all over the bottom of the mountain. i wish him well.

the first thing i did when i was at my popi's was to call my friend mark, at work. he was in the FIRST accident and was brought by life star to the hospital. mark is a very special person. he's writing a book about the accident (the FIRST one) with NONE of the money from that book going to him. i was privileged to read the first four chapters and it was amazing. i have to keep after him to FINISH though.

"In a split second it all happened" -- Witnesses describe latest Avon Mountain crash

Avon (WTNH) _ A big crash and a big puff of smoke -- that's what Mark Guimond heard and saw on Avon Mountain this morning as a tractor trailer crashed into the Nassau's Furniture store on Route 44 and Route 10.
"We looked to our right and there was buried, when the smoke cleared it was buried -- a tractor trailer. There was maybe 10-15 feet left of him hanging out of the building. It looked to me like he was carrying shingles," said Guimond, who works for a landscaping company.
The truck, driven by Robert Rauch of New Jersey, indeed was transporting roofing materials from Baltimore, Maryland to Canton.
Tammy Burns had just dropped her kids off at pre-school and was in traffic at the stop light when she saw the truck coming right at her............

yesterday was the second anniversay of the avon mountain crash

i've written about it several times. i travelled over that mountain for years and years. even on GOOD days, it was white knuckle driving. not so much if you were alone and no other cars were around you. it was when there WERE others on the road (which was 99.9% of the time). people are idiots. on your tail. even in snow and ice. they've taken steps to cut down on the idiocy. they've marked the road better. they've put up more signs. they have added police 'pull over areas'. it's STILL not pretty though.



my friend mark was in that accident. he was airlifted out. he doesn't remember anything about the accident at all. however, he is reconstructing it. he's talking to everyone he can that was involved. it's changed his life. not that he wasn't a good man before (he was), he just is a far better man now. he's writing a book. i was privileged to read the first four chapters. it's amazing. the amount of research he's put into it. the people he's talked to (including those that directly helped to save his life; a doctor on his way to work, someone who was working at avon old farms inn who heard the accident and rushed out. several firefighters and police and on and on) and the places he's been. oh, one more thing. all of the profits from the book are going to the families of those affected by this tragedy.



2nd anniversary of Avon Mountain crash



Sunday Marks 2-Year Anniversary Of Avon Crash