[7E-R'Bridge-Wreck]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=98-72 1:27:08]
[GRAPHIC=I-81 Ax]
The remains of Sunday's massive accident in Rockbridge County are still wreaking havoc with drivers on I-81.
The V-DOT says it could be mid-week before both northbound lanes are open.
(-------------)
[vo-nat]
[SUPER=03-Rockbridge Co.]
Traffic is moving slowly through the area.
The crash is blamed on an ice-covered bridge, dense fog, and high speed.
New details are emerging about those who were killed.
(XXXXXXXXXXXXX)
[TAKE Pinnacle Page full]
The victims are: Douglas Hubert Austin of Atoka, Tennessee...
Dean Richard Muklevicz (muk-LEV-ich) of Memphis, Tennessee...
15 year old Leah (Lee-uh) Marie Nabors and her 19-year-old brother, Jon Nabors, both of Alabaster, Alabama.
(------------)
[7E-W&L-Victim]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=98-82]
[GRAPHIC=81 Wreck]
Leah Nabors and her parents were bringing her brother Jon back to Washington and Lee University, where he was about to begin his second semester as a freshman.
His mother- Doris Nabors- is in VERY critical condition...his father- Eddie Nabors- was upgraded to "guarded" condition last night.
Many W&L students returning to school yesterday passed the accident scene, not knowing their classmate was one of the victims.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Nabors was one]
[SUPER=03-Lexington; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jason Miller/Junior; :14]
[SUPER=01-Brian Shaw/W&L Spokesman; 1:01]
[SUPER=@Eric1; 1:16]
[RUNS=1:24]
[OUT Q=deal with it.]
(( Nabors was one of 25 freshmen living in Gaines hall... placed in an upperclass dorm because the freshman halls were full...
As a result, they were a close-knit group
[SOT 08:47:46]
[IN Q=it's hard]
((JASON MILLER/RESIDENT COUNSELOR; IT'S HARD FOR, ESPECIALLY FOR HIS SUITE-MATES, TO ADJUST AND I THINK THE ONLY THING I CAN DO, IS WHAT I'VE TRIED TO DO, TO JUST OFFER MYSELF TO THEM , IF THEY NEED TO TALK OR THEY NEED TO YELL, OR JUST NEED TO SIT IN A ROOM WITH SOMEBODY ELSE THERE))
[RUNS18]
[OUT Q=else there]
Junior Jason Miller is the resident counselor for the floor, He says Nabor's was boisterous, and caring... and couldn't wait for Rush week... when students choose their fraternities...
[SOT 08:47:21]
[IN Q=that's probably]
((JASON MILLER/RESIDENT COUNSELOR; THAT'S PROBABLY, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT THAT, THE ANXIETY OF RUSH AND OF GETTING A BID AND THE DIFFERENT HOUSES HE WAS LOOKING AT, BUT HE WAS REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT AND HE WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO RUSH WEEK WHICH BEGINS TOMORROW ))
[RUNS15]
[OUT Q=begins tomorrow]
School officials say the entire community feels the loss deeply.
[SOT 09:14:25]
[IN Q=and its mixed]
((BRIAN SHAW/W&L SPOKESMAN; IT'S MIXED IN WITH THE ELATION OF OF STARTING THE TERM, THE EXCITMENT OF GETTING BACK TO SCHOOL AND GETTING THINGS UNDER WAY, AND THEN TO HAVE A TRAGEDY LIKE THIS HAPPEN, IT'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND HOW SOMETHING LIKE THIS COULD HAPPEN AND HOW YOU DEAL WITH IT))
[RUNS16]
[OUT Q=deal with it]
Dorm supervisors will meet today to discuss how to deal with the situation. Counselors will be available to anyone who needs them.
Eric Earnhart, News 7))
[7E-DUI-Bus]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=chu]
[TAPE#98-80 1:01:50]
[GRAPHIC=Accident Investigation]
A accident involving a schoolbus sent one student to the hospital, and Danville Police say a drunk driver may be to blame.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Danville;]
It happened just before three yesterday afternoon on Route-265.
The bus driver and one of her young students were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The only other student on the bus was not hurt.
Officers arrested Thomas (Scarce) Scearce at the scene and charged him with D-U-I.
They believe he drove his pickup truck into the bus, forcing IT off the road and over an embankment.
(----------------)
[7WEATHER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=CUTIN]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE #=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Taking a look now at your Tuesday forecast..
Another very cold day and windy day ahead, with highs only reaching the mid-20s under mostly sunny skies.
Some clouds move in overnight. Look for lows to drop off into the low- teens.
The extended forecast...
[CK/WX PRO=]
MAPS
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Mostly Sunny/Winds W 10-15/20-25/Partly Cloudy/More Bitter Cold/12-17;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[7BIRTHDAYS!] 1/6/99
Wednesday:
[SUPER=130-91/Troy Goad/Roanoke]
[SUPER=130-1/Christa Lee/Bassett]
[cutopen]
[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;]
[45E-Lexington-Wreck]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-68]
[GRAPHIC=I-81 Ax]
Its still slow going on Interstate 81 in Rockbridge County this morning following Sunday's deadly pileup.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rockbridge Co.;]
State police say four people died and dozens more were injured in a chain reaction pileup caused by an ice covered bridge, dense fog and speed.
One northbound lane remains closed as workers continue to try and clean up the wreckage.
(/////SOT/////)
[NAT-SOUND]
((CARS AND TRUCKS PASSING BY THE WRECKAGE.))
[RUNS=:03]
(-------------)
[vo-nat]
Officials were surprised by the number of people who managed to survive the accident.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT=01:46:00]
[IN Q=THIS IS THE]
((ROBERT WEIKEL/CLEANUP DIRECTOR; THIS IS THE WORST ACCIDENT THAT I'VE EVER WORKED LIKE THIS WITH SO MANY TRACTOR TRAILERS INVOLVED))
[SUPER=01-Robert Weikel/Cleanup Director;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=tractor trailers]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
V-Dot says it may be mid week or later before traffic is flowing in both lanes.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=MElanie]
[SS=None]
Until then, northbound traffic will move through one lane during daylight hours.
[45E-Gasline-Explosion]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#98-71 1:15:41]
[GRAPHIC=Explosion]
Some residents in Wytheville are still with out heat following Sunday's natural gas explosion.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Wytheville/Sunday;]
Officials still don't know what caused the pipeline to explode and send flames 300- feet into the air.
A nearby house and business were destroyed.
Gas company employees have been working around the clock to restore service to customers.
Some workers haven't slept in two days but manage to stay awake.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Well the]
((RANDALL GREER/GAS COMPANY EMPLOYEE: WELL THE WEATHER HELPS OUT CAUSE THERE'S NO WAY YOU WANT TO LAY DOWN WHEN IT'S COLD LIKE THIS. ))
[SUPER=01-Randall Greer/Gas Company Employee; :00]
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT Q=like this.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
Nearly 15-hundred customers were left without gas service in the Wytheville area.
Gas company officials say they'll continue to work non stop until service is restored.
(----------------)
[45-5-Franklin-Murder]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=598-]
[GRAPHIC=Legal Scales]
In Court yesterday, a Franklin County murder suspect remained tight lipped when questioned by a judge.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Franklin Co.;]
Thomas Akers is charged with capital murder for allegedly killing Wesley Smith of Roanoke just before Christmas.
Tribal police arrested him and Timothy Martin on a New York Indian reservation -- they were still driving the victim's car.
Martin is also charged in the murder but deputies will not drive him back from New York until the weather clears up.
(------------)
[45Bramblett]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Earl Bramblett]
Earl Bramblett is as delusional today as he was when he was convicted.
Defense attorney Terry Grimes argued yesterday that in 1997 a judge wrongly determined that Bramblett was competant to stand trial.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem/File Tape]
A Roanoke County judge sentenced Bramblett to death for murdering Teresa and Blane Hodges and their two children.
Bramblett maintains his innocence, saying his conviction was secured through a conspiracy involving police, his own lawyers and his victims.
(------------)
[45E-Bedford-Pot]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]no retop
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#98-81 22:16]
[GRAPHIC=Drug Bust Marijuana]
A raid on a Bedford County farmhouse yesterday morning landed one man in jail on marijuana charges.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.]
43-year old Jack Dearing was arrested after police found more than five pounds of marijuana in his home near Stewartsville.
They also confiscated drug paraphernalia and several weapons.
Sheriff Mike Brown says it appears Dearing grew and sold the pot on his five- acre farm.
(----------------)
[45E-Elton-John]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]no retop
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=98-74 41:17]
[GRAPHIC=Elton John]
Tickets for Elton John's date in ROANOKE-- on his new U-S concert tour-- will go on sale Saturday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The February 19th performance will have two prices: 45 and 35-dollars.
The Box office at the Civic Center opens at 10 Saturday morning.
You can also obtain tickets through Ticketmaster, Charge-by- Phone and "on-line" at w-w-w- DOT- ticketmaster- dot com.
It's a solo performance, set to start at eight o'clock that Friday night.
(------------)
[45WEATHER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=CUTIN]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE #=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Time again to check the Tuesday forecast--
Mostly sunny and breezy today, with highs in the lower 20s.
Turning partly cloudy by tonight, as lows cool into the mid teens
Tomorrow looks a bit warmer, with some snow flurries or light snow showers possible.
Expect partly cloudy skies through Thursday, with more wintry precipitation possible by the weekend.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=314-Mostly Sunny/Winds W 10-15/20-25/Partly Cloudy/More Bitter Cold/12-17;]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[cutopen]
[SUPER=19-Melanie/Moon;]
[8E-Lexington-Wreck]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=djo]
[TAPE#=98-68]
[GRAPHIC=I-81 Ax]
Crews continue to sift through the wreckage following Sunday's fatal accident on I-81 in Rockbridge County.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Rockbridge Co.;]
State police say four people died and dozens more were injured following a chain reaction pileup caused by an ice covered bridge, dense fog and speed.
One northbound lane remains closed during the cleanup effort.
That slowed traffic to a crawl.
(/////SOT/////)
[NAT-SOUND]
((CARS AND TRUCKS PASSING BY THE WRECKAGE.))
[RUNS=03]
(-------------)
[vo-nat]
Officials were surprised by the number of people who survived the accident.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT=01:46:00]
[IN Q=THIS IS THE]
((ROBERT WEIKEL/CLEANUP DIRECTOR; THIS IS THE WORST ACCIDENT THAT I'VE EVER WORKED LIKE THIS WITH SO MANY TRACTOR TRAILERS INVOLVED))
[SUPER=01-Robert Weikel/Cleanup Director;]
[RUNS=08]
[OUT Q=tractor trailers]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Crews say it will take several days to restore that section of the highway.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=MElanie]
[SS=None]
Until then, V-Dot says northbound traffic will narrow to a single lane during daylight hours.
[8E-Survivors]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=sgo]
[TAPE#98-69 2:02:58]
[GRAPHIC=81 Wreck]
Rescue workers say they were shocked when they saw just how bad the accident was.
Scott Goldberg reports.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=When he's]
[SUPER=03-Lexington; :00 -- QUICK]
[SUPER=01-Jon Berry/Rescue Squad Worker; :11]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Tony Schmieg/Stonewall Jackson ER; :24]
[SUPER=@Scott1; :31]
[SUPER=01-Imojene Lotts/Natural Bridge Bus Driver; :43]
[SUPER=03-Rockbridge Co./Sunday; :52]
[RUNS=1:08]
[OUT Q=SG N7 Rockbridge Co.]
(([guy in blue smock with patient]
When he's not working in the emergency room at Stonewall Jackson hospital, Jon Berry spends some of his time as a rescue squad volunteer.
That's what he was doing this weekend.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 1:07:28]
[IN Q=it was]
((BERRY: IT WAS SO MUCH WRECKAGE ... I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY'LL EVER FIGURE OUT WHAT ALL HAPPENED.))
[RUNS06]
[OUT Q=HAPPENED]
[bald doctor looking at x-rays or sitting at desk]
Twenty victims came through the Stonewall Jackson ER, where Dr. Tony Schmeig also works.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 1:04:12]
[IN Q=we're all]
((TONY SCHMIEG: WE'RE ALL TRAINED FOR EMERGENCIES SO WHEN AN EMERGENCY HAPPENS IT CAN BE TREMENDOUSLY SATISFYING FROM A PROFESSIONAL POINT OF VIEW.))
[RUNS08]
[OUT Q=POINT OF VIEW]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 1:31:20]
[STANDUP]
[IN Q=THE DISASTER]
((SCOTT GOLDBERG: THE DISASTER RESPONSE TEAM WASN'T JUST MADE UP OF PEOPLE WHO TRAIN FOR EMERGENCIES BUT ALSO SPONTANEOUS VOLUNTEERS, LIKE THE STAFF AT THE NATURAL BRIDGE HOTEL, WHICH TRANSPORTED CRASH VICTIMS AWAY FROM THE SITE.))
[RUNS12]
[OUT Q=THE SITE]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT 1:27:56]
[IN Q=TRANSPORTING]
((IMOJENE: TRANSPORTING TOURISTS IS OUR JOB AND I ENJOY IT ... THIS WAS QUITE DIFFERENT.))
[RUNS08]
[OUT Q=QUITE DIFFERENT]
The people who were there said without so many volunteers pitching in, they're certain the death toll would have been higher.
Even though some rescue workers are asking: could we have done more,
There's little doubt this accident -- the worst many had ever seen -- brought out Rockbridge County's very best.
Scott Goldberg, News-7 Rockbridge County.
(------------)))[8E-Cycle-Shop]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=tha]
[TAPE#98-78]
[GRAPHIC=Fire Aftermath]
After his motorcycle shop was destroyed in Sunday's natural gas explosion, the owner says he'll rebuild.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Wytheville;]
The intense heat from the explosion caused Dwight Grubb's shop to go up in flames.
He'd been in business for 14- years, and had just completed a new addition to the shop two weeks ago.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=What were ]
((WHAT WERE YOU THINKING AS YOU WATCHED IT GO UP IN FLAMES.
DWIGHT GRUBB/HILLTOP CYCLE SHOP OWNER:14 YEARS DOWN THE DRAIN.
WHAT DID YOU HAVE IN THERE, BESIDES A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES?
RIGHT WE HAD A LOT OF WATERCRAFT, ATV'S, MOTORCYCLES AND HAD SOME CUSTOMERS MOTORCYCLE AND ATV'S TOO. ))
[SUPER=01-Dwight Grubb/Hilltop Cycle Shop Owner; :00]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=atv's too.]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
Grubb leased the property, and says he hasn't decided whether he'll rebuild there or at another location.
(----------------)
[8E-Elton-John]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=cutins]
[WRITER=khu]
[TAPE#=98-74 41:17]
[GRAPHIC=Elton John]
It's official- tickets for Elton John's Roanoke concert date will go on sale Saturday.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The February 19th performance will have two prices: 45 and 35-dollars.
The Box office at the Civic Center opens at 10 Saturday morning.
You can also obtain tickets through Ticketmaster charge-by- phone and "on-line" at the ticketmaster web site.
It's a solo performance, set to start at eight o'clock that Friday night.
(------------)
[8WEATHER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=CUTIN]
[WRITER=KMC]
[TAPE #=]
[GRAPHIC=]
Taking a look now at the forecast..
Mostly sunny skies today, with high temperatures only climbing into the lower 20s.
Partly cloudy tonight, with more bitter cold-- lows in the mid teens.
Tomorrow's forecast is calling for the possiblity of flurries, with partly cloudy skies for the rest of the week.
And there's a chance for more wintry weather by the weekend.
[SUPER=X5000; set dissolve]
[SUPER=#555; reset]
[SUPER=314-Mostly Sunny/Winds W 10-15/20-25/Partly Cloudy/More Bitter Cold/12-17;]
by SS