Tragedy hits Nebraska family twice in a week (lost two of their children in traffic accidents)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10632378

Published Tuesday May 12, 2009
Tragedy hits Nebraska family twice in a week
BY KEVIN COLE
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

A Nebraska couple has lost two of their children in traffic accidents a week apart.


Ashley and Andrew Ford


Andrew Ford, 21, of Ainsworth, died Monday in a collision on Nebraska Highway 20. The crash occurred just two days after he helped to bury his 16-year-old sister, Ashley, also of Ainsworth, who died in a May 4 traffic accident on her way to school.

Brown County Attorney David Streich said Andrew Ford was a passenger in a 2009 Ford Explorer being driven by his brother, Jonathan Adam Ford, 19, of Ainsworth, when it rear-ended a pickup truck at the end of a string of vehicles at a construction site.

Andrew Ford was pronounced dead at the scene. His brother, who is known by his middle name, and the pickup’s driver, Doug Pankowski, 51, of Ainsworth, were taken to the Brown County Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

A family friend, Pastor Bruce Beebout of Valentine, said the family was preparing to take Adam home later Tuesday.

Beebout said the parents of both children, Tom and Amy Ford of Ainsworth, are coping with the tragedy as best they can.

[blue neen]

1. That is an unbelievably sad story.

I was actually sitting here feeling sorry for myself because of problems in my life right now. The story of the Ford family tragedy certainly woke me up...my problems are nothing compared to theirs.

[depakid]

2. Sounds like no seatbelt

[ainsworth10]

5. The Ford F amily

I went to high school with Andrew and Adam Ford. Having two
deaths in the same family and a week apart for each other is a
very sad thing that our community had to go through. Plus,
they were both wearing their seatbelts. 

[blue neen]

6. My sympathy goes out to those of you in Ainsworth.

This is a horrible loss.

[Suich]

7. I'm so sorry.

:hug:

[ColbertWatcher]

9. I am at a loss for words.

The sorrow your town must be feeling is beyond what I can comprehend.

I wish I could offer more than my online sympathies.

[uppityperson]

12. My condolences to friends and family. I cannot imagine

[Mari333]

44. from a mother who has had a son pass

this will be the hardest thing they will ever go thru. they will never get over it. i know. it will take yrs and yrs for them to even want to get out of bed. so, send them my love, if you can, from a mom who understands.
hugs.

[seabeyond]

41. so what? they deserve to die? can still die wearing a seatbelt.

this pukish mentality totally lacks compassion and just basic humanness

sound like not wearing seatbelts.

i dont get people who have this attitude to other peoples suffering

[malaise]

3. How sad is that

:cry:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

4. This cannot be happening ..........

How do people possibly live when something like this happens?

Their only surviving child. He was driving.

This is one of the worst stories I've ever heard.........................

[Critters2]

10. My thoughts exactly. That poor young man. Such a load to bear.

The Ford family is in my prayers.

[firedupdem]

8. How sad!

I would never make it. My prayers go out for that family.

[RghtClkRfrsh]

11. Could Have Been Prevented

Ashley ran a STOP SIGN and hit another person. Andrew ran into the back of a chain of road workers in their trucks in a MARKED CONSTRUCTION ZONE. Sounds like people who weren't paying attention. Now, don't get me wrong...it's a terrible tragedy. My concerns are with the people THEY hurt as a result of their actions.

[uppityperson]

13. A wk after your sister is killed, may not have been paying excellent attention.Still, feel very bad

for their family and friends. I don't think I would be in very good shape, driving a wk after my sib was killed either. Maybe you should cut him some slack.

You joined DU just to post this? Did you know them? Are you in that area?

[RghtClkRfrsh]

14. Your damn right I did.

This could have all been prevented if they were paying attention to what they were doing. You say I should cut him some slack, and that maybe he wasn't in very good shape..I'm sure he wasn't, so what was he driving for? Ainsworth is NOTORIOUS for some of the worst drivers I've EVER seen. People run stop signs continuously, all the while chatting away on a cell phone. ALL of the attention should be on the victims of these senseless acts. Are there donations being set up for them? As I said before, it's a terrible tragedy..but one(two) that could have been prevented.

[JonLP24]

15. Where did you read Ashley ran a stop sign?

I read 4 articles and it said head on collisions. The brother was seriously injured while the other driver the brother that died hit was not, he was driving a service truck. You want to set up a fund for people that are ok meanwhile people are dead and one is critically injured?

I doubt you drive perfect 100% of the time. I never been in an accident but I came pretty damn close a few times and anyone I talk to has been as well.

[RghtClkRfrsh]

16. Uh, no....

Look harder, read better. The info is all there. By "was not", do you mean alive and not killed? Then yes, I guess they're OK and now have some serious doctor bills to take care of because of this mess. Do I have a bone to pick? You bet I do. My GF was almost killed by some moron who wasn't paying attention while driving and she now has to live with the injuries caused by it. The "Ainsworth Community" could care less about her. Look, there's no denying that this is a terrible, horrible tragedy, I would have a hard time dealing with this kind of thing(again)..and I really hope the Ford family pulls through it.

[JonLP24]

17. I read 4 articles and not one said she ran a stop sign

Streich said the vehicle struck a service truck driven by 51-year-old David Pankowski of Ainsworth. The Pankowski truck was pushed into a pickup driven by Mark Sedlacek of Ainsworth. Sedlacek was not injured.
http://www.kolnkgin.com/home/headlines/44775762.html
WTF Does that mean? Not injured, meanwhile his brother who was doing nothing but riding passenger was critically injured.

Could you PLEASE post the text and link where it says Ashley ran a stop sign because I read 4 articles and not one said she ran a stop sign.

I just read HARDER

Ashley died following a two-vehicle crash just northeast of Ainsworth, when the pickup she was driving collided with another pickup at the intersection of two county roads.

No mention of a stop sign.

[JVS]

20. This one says she failed to stop

http://www.kolnkgin.com/news/headlines/44459672.html

"Investigators say Ford, who was westbound, failed to stop at the intersection and hit a northbound vehicle driven by a 58-year-old Verdel man, who was treated at the Brown County Hospital."

[JonLP24]

22. Thank you. I was wrong.

[JVS]

25. You're welcome.

[JonLP24]

21. I got my facts wrong. The passenger died, the driver was critically injured

[RghtClkRfrsh]

23. Funny...

Most have been updated to include her brother now. The ones that are left all say she "failed to yield", or "failed to stop". Now, are you from around Ainsworth? Because either you're not or you are seriously trying on a big fat denial hat. So, barring a Google cache search, I think I'll(and everyone else in this town) go with what actually happened. She ran a stop sign. His brother failed to slow down for a construction zone. That in itself is horrible. Imagine having to live with that for the rest of your life.

[JonLP24]

26. Big fat denial hat my ass

I read carefully 5 articles and no mention of a failure to yield or whatever til JVS pointed it out where I admitted I was wrong but not because the article mentioned it and you failed to provide a full text and a link. The article at the OP has no mention of it. You feel for the brother that died who was doing nothing but riding passenger?

[JVS]

18. I'm trying to dig up info. Here's an article that doesn't tell, but interestingly she was 15

http://new.khastv.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=17158

Will look for more.

[JonLP24]

19. That is now 5 articles with no mention of a stop sign

I'm seriously re-reading every article looking for a mention of a stop sign.

[JVS]

24. See above, but I'd like to point out a detail of country driving I learned from a rural local once.

If you're looking for mention of a stop sign it might never come, because there are many intersections in rural grid traffic patterns that are unmarked. The article I found said "failed to stop" which implies that she either ran a sign or didn't yield appropriately to cross coming traffic. Maybe with google maps we can find the roads and figure it out.

[JonLP24]

27. I was looking for a mention of a stop sign strictly because the poster said

"Ashley ran a STOP SIGN"

so that was what I was looking for. I figured since it was country roads there probaly wasn't a stop sign and one or the other didn't stop for the other.

[RghtClkRfrsh]

30. Oh and by the way

I live in Ainsworth. I know what happened. The articles have been sanitized for your sympathy.

[JVS]

31. So where is the newspaper that tells the blunt truth and says...

"Local family raises bad drivers, pays in blood."

[RghtClkRfrsh]

33. Wow

Let me see.....nope didn't write that. I said they have been updated to include the brother. Unless you live here, you wont ever know the whole truth.

[JonLP24]

32. Were you there at the scene?

You haven't showed me a unsanitized article or anything. I don't know the exact details of 95% of what goes on around here and the news usually helps me out with those things so sorry I didn't automatically take your word for it.

[RghtClkRfrsh]

34. The local Sheriff

announced it on the radio.

[RghtClkRfrsh]

28. Are either of you 2 from Ainsworth?

Because around here most of the country roads have stop signs at the intersections. They're there for a reason. A lot of those intersections can be dangerous because folks here don't care to stop as they think no one will be coming. And by the way, I'm a very careful driver, I learned the hard way a LONG time ago. Fortunately I was the only one hurt.

[JVS]

29. I've driven throughout the Midwest, so I'm familiar with unmarked intersections.

My first encounter with them was a bit scary though as I had blown through an intersection (nobody was coming fortunately) before the I realized that the street I was crossing also didn't have a stop.

[JonLP24]

35. Google street doesn't show the intersection

I'll keep looking. All of the radio stations the poster refers to mentions no stop sign but doesn't say there wasn't a stop sign. I'll keep looking for that stop sign no that I located the 2 roads.

Ashley was going west, the other driver was going north. Need to remember that.

[RghtClkRfrsh]

36. I just want to say

My thoughts and prayers DO go out to the family, as well as the others who were hurt in these accidents. The only point I was trying to make was to say PLEASE! Pay attention to what you're doing when driving. Yes, accidents DO happen, unfortunately, these days it seems like the word accident gets used to cover up a mistake that ends up hurting or killing people. I just want people to show some consideration for the OTHER person, and by doing that keeping themselves safe as well. That's it. God bless!

[JVS]

37. Good point. May we heed the warning that this tale provides.

[JonLP24]

39. I apologize

I took your initial post the wrong way.

[uppityperson]

43. "PLEASE! Pay attention to what you're doing when driving. " Indeed"

I hope those who were injured, either physically or emotionally, heal soon.

[JonLP24]

38. Best image I could fine

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=ainsworth,+ne&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=12.049183,36.210937&ie=UTF8&ll=42.578982,-99.832882&spn=0.000679,0.004249&t=h&z=18


It doesn't show a sign but it could be a size of spec. It's hard to tell if there is a stop sign but it is extremely rural and can see the danger. Ashley was going West the other driver North.

[JonLP24]

40. This is the north bound road. Not the intersection, GoogleStreet won't let me travel that direction

You notice there is 2 stop signs but probaly because the rural road crosses a major state Highway.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=ainsworth,+ne&sll=42.578982,-99.832882&sspn=0.000679,0.004249&g=ainsworth,+ne&ie=UTF8&ll=42.549919,-99.832764&spn=0.021751,0.135956&z=13&iwloc=A&layer=c&cbll=42.549913,-99.832796&panoid=JOU2VEZA-pw2wgz7m_gBIA&cbp=12,186.24,,0,5

Hopefully it is looking the same direction.

[RghtClkRfrsh]

45. Took a ride today..

out to the site of Ashley's accident and yes, there are stop signs at the intersection. Any more questions?

[seabeyond]

42. any accident could have been prevented. oh golly, i guess we dont have to feel

empathy for the family then.

geeesh that is good.

now i can feel all safe since this accident didnt have to happen