A crash involving a fire truck in West Philadelphia left several firefighters injured Sunday morning.
Fire officials said the crash, in which a vehicle partially rolled over, happened about 10 a.m. at 55th Street and Baltimore Avenue. Authorities confirmed that Philadelphia Fire Department Ladder 13 was involved in the crash.
NBC10's Randy Gyllenhaal reported from the scene that five firefighters were taken to the hospital, one of whom was transported as a trauma alert initially but was doing better by about 11:45 a.m. Four parked cars were damaged in the crash.
Photos from the block show one car completely crushed under the front of the ladder truck. Witnesses told Gyllenhaal that the truck appeared to be responding to a call when the driver lost control and hit parked cars along Baltimore Avenue.
Ladder 13's firehouse is located on 52nd Street near Willows Avenue, about four blocks from the site of the crash.
The Philadelphia Fire Department sent a tweet from its official account about 11:10 a.m. saying that no civilians were hurt in the crash, and that the firefighters suffered only minor injuries. They said the crash is under investigation.
This story is developing. Stay with NBC10.com for updates.
Two people were hurt after a vehicle overturned on I-76 westbound in Philadelphia Sunday.
The accident occurred near the Montgomery Drive entrance, according to State Police. Two people were injured in the crash and were taken to the hospital. Officials have not yet revealed their conditions.
Friends and family are mourning a Delaware County firefighter who was killed in a car accident over the weekend.
Scott Jones, 33, of Aston Township, was driving a 2012 silver Honda CR-V south on North Middletown Road in Edgmont, Pennsylvania around 3:20 a.m. Saturday when it collided with a 2012 white Chevrolet Malibu traveling northbound on North Middletown.
The crash caused both vehicles to go off the roadway and down an embankment. Jones was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Malibu, identified as 41-year-old Dante Monastra of West Chester, was taken to the Crozer-Chester Medical Center where he is being treated for life-threatening injuries.
Jones was a firefighter and EMT with the Newtown Square Fire Company for the past five years. He was also a volunteer with the Aston Township Fire Department and a career firefighter and EMT with the Media Fire Hook and Ladder Company.
State Police continue to investigate the accident. If you have any information, please call 484-840-1000.
A tractor-trailer crashed into a pole outside a Southwest Philadelphia car dealership Sunday night.
The vehicle struck a pole outside the Chapman Chevrolet on 6925 Essington Avenue around 9 p.m. PECO crews are currently repairing the downed pole. No one was seriously hurt during the crash.
Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers has decided to retire after this season.
The 37-year-old Bryant made the announcement in a post on The Players' Tribune on Sunday. The decision was not totally unexpected, given that Bryant has said many times in recent weeks that he was considering making his 20th NBA season his last.
There's no more wondering now.
After two decades, two Olympic gold medals, five championship rings, 17 All-Star selections, an 81-point game that ranks as the second-best in NBA history and more than 32,000 points, Bryant's career is officially winding down.
"This season is all I have left to give," Bryant said in what he called a letter entitled "Dear Basketball."
Bryant said in an interview on Sirius XM Radio just last week that "if something changes," he would come back and play next season. Only a few days later, that's apparently no longer an option.
"My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind. But my body knows it's time to say goodbye," Bryant wrote in the post. "And that's OK. I'm ready to let you go. I want you to know now. So we both can savor every moment we have left together. The good and the bad. We have given each other all that we have."
Bryant ranks third on the NBA's career scoring list, and only 13 players in league history played on more championship teams. Bryant helped the Lakers to titles in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010.
This season has been a struggle for the five-time champion, whose young and rebuilding Lakers are mired at the bottom of the Western Conference standings while he's shooting a career-worst 32 percent. Injuries have dogged him in recent years as well, limiting him to 41 of a possible 164 games in the previous two seasons. And even this season, back issues have kept him from playing as much as he would like.
"It's tough to see one of the absolute greatest competitors go through this," Miami guard Dwyane Wade told The Associated Press on Sunday, prior to Bryant making his announcement. "You can put a team around a guy to help a guy, especially late in his career. They're just not in position right now to do that. He's won five championships, so no one feels bad for him from that standpoint. But from a standpoint of seeing one of this era's greatest players go out in a rebuilding process, it's tough."
The Lakers have 66 games remaining after Sunday and it will likely turn into a adoration tour of sorts for Bryant, who has already gotten long ovations from normally hostile fans on road trips this season, particularly in places like New York and Miami where crowds sensed that they might be seeing him as an opponent for the final time.
The Lakers' next road game is, perhaps not coincidentally given the timing of Bryant's announcement, on Tuesday in Philadelphia -- his hometown.
"Philly is where I grew up," Bryant told AP in an interview in Miami earlier this month. "It's always a different emotion there than anywhere else."
Bryant came into the NBA straight out of high school, won the dunk contest at All-Star weekend as a rookie, played in the All-Star game for the first time the following year and a star was fast born. The 81 points he scored against Toronto on Jan. 22, 2006, are second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in NBA history, and he's the only player to spend 20 consecutive seasons with the same team.
A dump truck driver wound up hospitalized after colliding with a pair of horses that escaped from a nearby Bucks County farm.
The crash along Durham Road near the five-point intersection with Old Durham and Stump roads in Plumstead Township, Pennsylvania around 3 a.m. Monday left the horses dead.
Investigators said it appeared the horses came from a local farm and that the crash occurred in the roadway.
The wreck left the driver with injuries that required observation, said police.
Expect traffic delays in the area as crews work to clear the scene, including a utility pole that was damaged.
Here are the 10 things you need to know to start your day from your friends at NBC10.
TODAY'S TOP STORY
Dump Truck Strikes, Kills Horses Crossing Street: A dump truck driver was hospitalized after colliding with a pair of horses that escaped from a nearby Bucks County farm. The crash along Durham Road near the five-point intersection with Old Durham and Stump roads in Plumstead Township, Pennsylvania around 3 a.m. Monday left the horses dead. Investigators said it appeared the horses came from a local farm and that the crash occurred in the roadway. The wreck left the driver with injuries that required observation, said police.
It's a chilly and windy start to the work week. Monday is expected to be partly cloudy but showers could move in by the evening. Most of the area is expected to see rain on Tuesday and it could last through Wednesday. And the rain should clear out by Thursday. High Temp: 49 degrees. Get your full NBC10 First Alert forecast here.
WHAT YOU MISSED YESTERDAY
Film Students Carry Prop Rifle on Overpass: Film students caused a panic on a California freeway Sunday after at least 10 drivers reported two men standing on a pedestrian overpass carrying assault-type rifles, which turned out to be props, authorities said. The two students were arrested on suspicion of displaying replica firearms and causing a false emergency. Around 5 p.m., drivers on the 101 Freeway began calling in to report that two men dressed in military fatigues were carrying rifles on the Chesebro Road pedestrian overpass. At least 10 of the drivers called 911, saying they felt threatened that the pair were going to cause harm. California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Station, including a helicopter, immediately responded to the 101 Freeway and found the two. CHP shut down the freeway. The pair later explained they were filming for a school project.
AROUND THE WORLD
World Leaders Gather in Paris for Climate Talks: Some 150 world leaders including President Barack Obama joined U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Monday in kicking off two weeks of high-stakes climate talks near Paris. Environmental activists hope that the images from the United Nations conference will send a powerful message of unity on the issue of global warming. The COP21 meeting comes at a somber time for France, which is reeling after extremists linked to ISIS killed 130 people around the capital. Immediate fears of repeat attacks have prompted extra-high security and a crackdown on environmental protests. Each leader will give a speech about what their countries are doing to reduce emissions and slow climate change. After the leaders leave, negotiators have two more weeks to work on a deal before the talks are scheduled to wrap up Dec. 11.
Former Owner Chooses to Die in Restaurant: A 78-year-old woman who spent more than three decades running a New Jersey luncheonette decided she wanted to spend her final days in the now-shuttered diner. NJ.com reports the lights dimmed on Chubby's Luncheonette three years ago. But it was so special to former owner Carol "Chubby" Montello that she decided she wanted to die in the Hopewell diner. Her loved ones say she left the door open 24-7 so regulars could make coffee and heat muffins before she arrived. She often sat in the diner even after it closed since she lived above it. Those close to her say she didn't want to die in the hospital, so they arranged to put her bed in Chubby's alongside tables, where she died on Oct. 11.
SPORTS SPOT
Kobe Bryant to Retire: Lower Merion's own basketball star says he will retire at the end of the 2015-16 season. In his 20 NBA seasons, Bryant has earned five titles. Get your full sports news at CSNPhilly.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
See more Top News Photos here.
THROUGH IGER'S EYES
@cathalyse snapped this cool and colorful image of a graffit bicycle.
Have an awesome Instagram photo you'd like to share? Tag it with #NBC10Buzz.
TODAY'S VIRAL VIDEO
This dog is not impressed with the stuffed turkey toy he was given for Thanksgiving. Watch the video here.
Holiday Gift Guide: Instead of wandering crowded malls and streets hoping for inspiration, we've got dozens of gift ideas for everyone on your list. From spouses to co-workers and everyone in between, these creative ideas range from the economical to the over-the-top splurge. Find out more about the perfect gift idea here.
That's what you need to know. We've got more stories worthy of your time in the Breakfast Buzz section. Click here to check them out.
“He always knew what to do.”
That line brought laughter to the overflow crowd -- hundreds of friends and family members who came to the Philadelphia funeral home the day before Thanksgiving to honor Jacob Marberger. A line uttered by his own father who also found the courage to admit there were times he was jealous of Jacob. Yes, his only child might be difficult at times. Intense. Precocious. But he was brilliant, kind, caring and so articulate, Dr. Jon Marberger seemed a bit afraid his own words might not be the right ones to give us all a holistic sense of this boy’s life.
“Jacob left extensive notes, just wanting to show his love and some instructions and of course some humor in there,” his dad told mourners. “He had dreams.”
While we may never know definitively what led to Marberger’s suicide, when it comes to mental health, “We do know this is the single most vulnerable time in life,” according to Dr. Laurence Steinberg, an expert in the adolescent brain and Temple University’s Distinguished University Professor of Psychology. “Both because of the vulnerability of adolescents as a developmental period but it’s also true because there are a lot of new and challenging experiences that children have to face then that are stressful,” Steinberg said in a conversation about mental health on college campuses.
Jacob shared his last dinner with former college roommate Joseph Swit Nov. 15, the night he abruptly left Washington College, drove home to Cheltenham Township, slipped inside while his parents slept, and then sneaked out with the gun he used to end his life. His six-day disappearance prompted the school’s lockdown then unprecedented evacuation and two-week closure. Some parents, students and administrators were afraid the 19-year-old sophomore might harm others. He vanished as many were just learning from the social media app Yik Yak that he’d been suspended from school, kicked out of his fraternity and resigned his coveted student government position -- consequences of waving an unloaded gun at fraternity members during a drinking episode.
Marberger's family and friends insist that bad decision was the result of what began as a good intention when he made a sexual harassment report against two fellow members of student government. They were reprimanded and Jacob told police and friends he felt "persecuted" by their supporters.
Swit, along with 1,400 other undergrads, returned Sunday to the private liberal arts college in Charlestown, Maryland, sad but ready to move forward. “It'll definitely be tough trying to regain some sort of normalcy with our minds so distracted, but it’s a challenge we'll have to meet.”
Washington College -- with the help of an outside crisis management firm – was primed to meet the challenge with a plan to emotionally cocoon kids.
“I think generally the students are very happy to return to campus, said Dr. Miranda Altman, director of the school’s counseling center after spending 12 hours immersed in helping students and staff readjust. "They want to resume their studies, they want to see their friends, they want to get back to some sense of normalcy, and routine, which of course is what the healing process involves,”
The college brought in additional mental health professionals and crisis counselors to help conduct small group sessions and then a campus-wide meeting Sunday. Students were encouraged to evaluate the school’s culture and question whether they’re doing all they can to be compassionate and not judgmental. Administrators don't want students to feel responsible for Jacob's death, but do want them to understand suicides are tragic and also very complicated. Be careful about placing blame, they counseled.
Talk about bullying was not encouraged. According to a source directly involved in his case, the consensus among people who investigated the six difficult weeks before his death is that Marberger was not bullied.
The day before his son’s body was found at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Jon Marberger wondered if chatter on social media pushed Jacob to a point where he could no longer cope. He’d been back at school for a week after his suspension when the conversation about him on Yik Yak, where you can post anonymously, became vindictive and vile, according to friends.
“That can take a situation from zero to 100 pretty quickly,” said Steinberg, who didn’t talk specifically about Jacob’s case, but in general about how social ostracism is often one of the toxic ingredients for young people who become both suicidal and homicidal.
The other three factors in Steinberg’s toxic mix are access to guns, alcohol or drugs, and usually an underlying mental health problem which may be undiagnosed.
“And often if you took any one of these things out of the equation, it [suicide or homicide] probably wouldn’t have happened,” Steinberg said.
“The more we can educate kids and parents and teachers about this, the more we can alert people to the warning signs in others and encourage people who are having trouble, to seek help.”
Steinberg encouraged parents, students and roommates to be aware:
Washington College will remain diligent, Dr. Altman says, in reminding students to reach out when they need help. Parents can help too. “My best advice, particularly for parents is to help your children know how to cope with disappointment and disillusionment, to try to help to teach your children how to be resilient.”
Altman was one of the first responders in the 2008 Valentine’s Day massacre at Northern Illinois University, where Steven P. Kazmierczak shot close to two dozen people, killing five before killing himself. She believes administrators at Washington College made difficult, but good decisions and the recovery process will ultimately build a stronger, closer-knit community.
Joseph Swit faced Monday’s return to class with an ache called absence but also a sense of commitment to his former roommate and friend. “Jacob was always very businesslike in the way he went about his studies so I think he’d want us to persevere and get back to our routine.”
SUICIDE PREVENTION: If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Death. It’s a topic people typically prefer to avoid bringing up in conversation. However, at the Bucks County “Death Cafe,” it’s the only subject to be discussed.
“A Death Cafe is a group directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives or themes,” reads Death Cafe’s website. The objective of a Death Cafe is “to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” Gatherings often feature tea and cake or cookies.
Organized by Terry Skovronek, a 51-year-old “death” midwife from Doylestown, the Death Cafe’s first meeting was held at the Bucks County Free Library. She started the discussions, that she hopes to hold on a monthly basis, because she saw a void in the community of environments where people could openly talk about death and dying.
“I couldn’t bear the silence any longer,” she told The Intelligencer. “How can we go through life in silence around this deeply important moment in our experience on this planet? I just had to start finding people to talk to about it.”
This gathering isn’t the first of its kind. Established in 2010, Death Cafe boasts over 1,400 locations in the United States and over 2,500 locations around the world.
British Web developer Jon Underwood read about Swiss sociologist Bernard Crettaz’s “cafe mortel” in The Independent in 2004 and decided to organize his own gathering based on Crettaz’s model. He hosted the first Death Cafe in 2011 at his home in East London.
“I believe our relationship with death plays a very significant part in explaining why we make the choices we make,” Underwood said. “I also believe that a better relationship with death has the potential to help us make better choices.”
Topics of discussion at Death Cafe gatherings range from mortality to personal experiences with death to recommendations for death-related books and television shows.
The next meeting is set for 7 p.m., December 10 in the group meeting room of the Doylestown branch of the Bucks County Free Library. All are invited to join.
