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4 yr. old dies after minivan crash
mouse
Member Posts: 3,624
OMAHA, Neb. -- Police said that the 4-year-old girl who was injured in a minivan crash on Tuesday died Wednesday after being removed from life support.
Josie Bluhm had been in critical condition at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and died at 5:50 p.m.
Neighbors of the victims in Tuesday's crash said they drove by the scene, oblivious to the fact that the little girl whom they'd see driving around the neighborhood in a Barbie jeep was taken to the hospital that morning clinging to life.
Now, the neighbors are struck by a mix of anger and sadness -- sad that they will never see the girl again and angry that the man who police said is responsible was on the road despite having no license.
Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa was put into police custody Tuesday. Police said he would be charged with misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide, in addition to a felony charge of driving with a suspended license.
Police said Rangel-Ochoa ran a red light in his Ford F-150 pickup truck and slammed into the family's minivan. The van spun into a couple other cars, witnesses said. The drivers of those cars weren't seriously injured.
Bluhm was ejected from the minivan. Witnesses found her under the vans bumper. They said she was bleeding heavily from the nose and the mouth. Her mother and brother were also in the hospital, but doctors were confident they will survive.
Neighbors spoke to KETV Wednesday, sharing their memories of the family during better times.
"Kyle (Josie's father) and Cayden are usually shooting baskets and Josie, she has a little battery-operated Barbie Jeep. She's always out driving that with her little sister riding shotgun," said Paul Jensen.
Terri Root
Neighbor Terri Root drove by the crash scene.
"He said somebody's hurt in that accident and we had no idea it was our neighbors," Root said.
Root and Jensen later found out that the man who police said hit the Bluhms was driving without a license.
"He's going to live with this the rest of his life and it will haunt him the rest of his life, and that is going to be a big punishment in itself," Root said.
Jensen was frustrated that Rangel-Ochoa was allegedly driving.
"If you don't have a license then you don't drive. It's very simple," Jensen said.
Driver Cited Was Repeat DUI Offender
The man who ran a red light Tuesday and slammed into a minivan, critically injuring a 4-year-old girl, was a repeat DUI offender, according to police records.
Police said Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa was driving without a license when he ran the light at 180th and Center streets.
Records show that Rangel-Ochoa lost that license for driving drunk in 2000. He spent nearly a month in jail for that offense.
Less than a year later, court records show that Rangel-Ochoa was drunk at the wheel again while still on probation for the first time. He then served 90 days in prison and lost his license for 15 years.
Josie Bluhm had been in critical condition at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and died at 5:50 p.m.
Neighbors of the victims in Tuesday's crash said they drove by the scene, oblivious to the fact that the little girl whom they'd see driving around the neighborhood in a Barbie jeep was taken to the hospital that morning clinging to life.
Now, the neighbors are struck by a mix of anger and sadness -- sad that they will never see the girl again and angry that the man who police said is responsible was on the road despite having no license.
Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa was put into police custody Tuesday. Police said he would be charged with misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide, in addition to a felony charge of driving with a suspended license.
Police said Rangel-Ochoa ran a red light in his Ford F-150 pickup truck and slammed into the family's minivan. The van spun into a couple other cars, witnesses said. The drivers of those cars weren't seriously injured.
Bluhm was ejected from the minivan. Witnesses found her under the vans bumper. They said she was bleeding heavily from the nose and the mouth. Her mother and brother were also in the hospital, but doctors were confident they will survive.
Neighbors spoke to KETV Wednesday, sharing their memories of the family during better times.
"Kyle (Josie's father) and Cayden are usually shooting baskets and Josie, she has a little battery-operated Barbie Jeep. She's always out driving that with her little sister riding shotgun," said Paul Jensen.
Terri Root
Neighbor Terri Root drove by the crash scene.
"He said somebody's hurt in that accident and we had no idea it was our neighbors," Root said.
Root and Jensen later found out that the man who police said hit the Bluhms was driving without a license.
"He's going to live with this the rest of his life and it will haunt him the rest of his life, and that is going to be a big punishment in itself," Root said.
Jensen was frustrated that Rangel-Ochoa was allegedly driving.
"If you don't have a license then you don't drive. It's very simple," Jensen said.
Driver Cited Was Repeat DUI Offender
The man who ran a red light Tuesday and slammed into a minivan, critically injuring a 4-year-old girl, was a repeat DUI offender, according to police records.
Police said Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa was driving without a license when he ran the light at 180th and Center streets.
Records show that Rangel-Ochoa lost that license for driving drunk in 2000. He spent nearly a month in jail for that offense.
Less than a year later, court records show that Rangel-Ochoa was drunk at the wheel again while still on probation for the first time. He then served 90 days in prison and lost his license for 15 years.
Comments
Investigators said the driver of a Ford Pickup was heading east on West Center Road, ran through a red light and collided with a Chrysler minivan traveling on 180th Street. The van spun around and was hit by two more vehicles.
The picture of the van is horrible. Its smashed up like it went
thru a crusher.
Driver Booked In Four-Vehicle Crash
Red Light Runner Causes Crash
Crash Folo
A | A | A Four-year-old Josie Bluhm, who suffered inoperable head injuries in Tuesday morning's four-vehicle crash has died. Life support was withdrawn and the girl died just before 6 p.m. Wednesday.
A minivan carrying 32-year-old Jayme Bluhm and her three children was hit at 180th and West Center Road just before 7:30 a.m.
Police say a westbound pickup driven by 27-year-old Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa ran a red light and slammed into the southbound van, causing it to spin into waiting eastbound traffic, hitting two additional vehicles.
Police say Rangel-Ochoa will be charged with misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide in addition to felony driving during suspension. He could be in court as early as Friday.
The truck he was driving belonged to his brother-in-law. Channel 6 News spoke with Rangel-Ochoa's sister. She said her brother feels terrible about what happened and is scared about what happens next.
According to Nebraska Motor Vehicle records, Rangel-Ochoa's license was revoked in 2002. He had three prior DUIs. Investigators say other charges are pending. Neither speed or alcohol appear to have been factors in the collision.
Jayme suffered a head injury, lacerations and bruising. She's in fair condition. As for her other two children, 5-year-old Cayden had numerous broken bones and is in serious condition while 1-year-old Reagan suffered cuts and bruises.
Jayme's husband Kyle is a middle school teacher and wrestling coach in Elkhorn. "Mr. Bluhm is a great guy, he's a great family man, takes his job very seriously, loves the kids at school, loves his wrestling kids, loves his own kids," says Elkhorn Middle School principal Mike Tomjack.
"Unbelievable, I just could not believe this had happened to them," said Paul Jensen, the Bluhms' neighbor. "Both Kyle and Jayme are both very dedicated to their kids. I just saw her yesterday (Monday), she had all three kids, she had some bread, they were going down to feed the geese."
Rangel-Ochoa and his two passengers and the drivers of the other two vehicles were treated for minor injuries and released.
"I walked up on the vehicle and I could see there was one little boy in the back, his name was Cayden, he knew he had a broken arm, probably about six, seven," said witness Linda Zitek.
"There was an infant in a car seat that wasn't moving at all and then all of a sudden her eyes started twitching so I knew she was okay, but the mother was in the front seat, she said I have three kids and there were only two in the car."
Josie was found under the bumper of the van. Witnesses said the little girl was in a safety seat, but was ejected in the force of the crash.
"Another gentleman came up and helped me pull the bumper up and pull her out from underneath the car and we sat her up to keep her breathing, keep her from choking," said witness Eric Tippery. "She had to be thrown out, absolutely thrown out."
"I put towels, used towels to get the blood out of her mouth, to try to keep her from choking `cause she was still breathing so there wasn't a need for CPR at that point," said Monique Cooper, who knows the family and provided day care for the little girl. "It was terrifying, I didn't recognize her."
Josie was taken by helicopter to the Nebraska Medical Center. "Oh, that was terrible, face, oh she was bloody and she was little and all you could think was oh my God," said Zitek.
Paramedic Barron Spooner was a first responder. "The children are the hardest to respond to because most of the medics that are employed, they all have families and children at home so it's the ones that touch `em the most."
Another responder on the scene, Omaha Police Sgt. Laurie Scott agrees. "It's probably without question the hardest part of this job. There's one thing to try and see a victim of something, but to see such an innocent victim, it's, it's difficult."
There is help and counseling available to responders, especially in cases where there are severe injuries. "The fact that there were six patients that were transported, couple different medic units and then with the small children, that makes it a little more difficult," said Spooner.
Elkhorn Middle School is offering counseling to staff and students as well. They've also got staff members taking shifts by the family's side at the hospital.
"Just being around and just being there to support, support their extended family as well," says Tomjack. "And right now, beyond prayers, I think that's about all we can do."
BY ANDREW J. NELSON AND KATIE FRETLAND
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
4-year-old girl dies after crash
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4-year-old girl dies after crash
Linda Zitek saw the minivan and the pickup spin after they hit. She saw the minivan crash into the vehicles in front of hers. She saw boxes of screws and tubes fly from the truck. And she saw her life pass before her eyes.
But the image that stuck with her more than 12 hours later was the swollen face of 4-year-old Josie Bluhm, who had been flung from the minivan on impact.
"She was just so little . . . so innocent of anything that had happened," said Zitek, 56. "There she was the worst of anybody."
Josie died today at the Nebraska Medical Center. She had suffered brain hemorrhaging and was declared brain dead. Life support was withdrawn, and she died at 5:50 p.m., police said.
Meanwhile, the driver of the pickup that collided with the Bluhm family van is in jail, accused of driving on a suspended license - and facing the prospect of a vehicular homicide charge.
Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa, 27, of Omaha, has had his license suspended and revoked numerous times for offenses ranging from failure to complete driver improvement classes to driving under the influence. In 2003, his driver's license was revoked for 15 years following a conviction for third-offense DUI.
He now faces a likely charge of misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide, according to an evening press release from police. Authorities say he is in the United States illegally, although they did not know his country of origin.
Two other children in the minivan, Cayden Bluhm, 5, and Reagan Bluhm, 1, also were hospitalized.
Cayden remained in serious condition Wednesday, having suffered numerous fractures. Reagan was treated and released. The condition of their mother, Jayme Bluhm, 32, was upgraded from serious to fair.
The crash occurred about 7:25 a.m. Tuesday at 180th Street and West Center Road.
According to police:
Jayme Bluhm was driving a 2007 Chrysler Town & Country minivan south when a westbound 2007 Ford F-150 pickup truck ran a red light and slammed into it. The minivan spun into eastbound traffic, hitting two more vehicles that had stopped for the red light.
Right behind those cars was Zitek, who leapt from her vehicle to help. In the minivan, a young boy cried for his mother. The mother said she had three children, but only two were in the minivan.
Zitek, of Waterloo, looked outside for Josie.
Eric Tippery, 51, who like Zitek had stopped for the red light when the crash occurred, spotted the bottom half of a little torso, with legs sticking out from beneath the minivan's front bumper on the ground. He and another man lifted the bumper and freed the child.
Said Zitek: "Her eyes were swollen shut. She was already turning black and blue."
Bystanders handed over blankets and clothing to keep the child warm, Tippery said. Someone learned the child's name; they talked to her as she lay on the ground.
Rescuers arrived, and the victims were whisked away. Police converged to investigate.
Two passengers in the F-150, ages 19 and 21, were treated and released. The drivers of the two other vehicles were not seriously injured.
Tippery, of Fremont, Neb., stayed at the scene for about two hours and gave a statement to police. He later lamented that innocents had suffered the most.
He said: "So many things are wrong about it, and it's the little ones who suffer . . . It's not those kids' fault. It's not that lady's fault. They were nowhere in the wrong."
World-Herald staff writer Judith Nygren contributed to this report.
No insurance. A drunk. When is this going to end?
He is here illegally, but he had a drivers licence at one point.
No insurance. A drunk. When is this going to end?
Hopefully it ends with a flip of the switch to an electric chair for him.
When will it end? When someone way above my pay grade decides to get serious about illegal immigration.
He is here illegally, but he had a drivers licence at one point.
No insurance. A drunk. When is this going to end?
It won't !
Politicians want these people here for cheap labor and reliable votes .[}:)]
This child and her family are no more than collateral damage .
As the woman said : he will be living with what he has done for the rest of his life .
Right ![xx(]
If he gets out ,he will go out and "drown" his sorrows and increase his body count .[}:)]
Doug
Police said he would be charged with misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide, in addition to a felony charge of driving with a suspended license.
Is it just me, or does this seem a bit lopsided.
A child's life is lost during the commission of what is considered a felony act, yet the homicide is deemed a misdemeanor. Someone please tell me that that misdemeanor is a typo.
...Drunk driving is far too widely accepted here among "law abiding" folks, "I'm not a criminal, I just drank too much and got caught driving"...DWI, 10 years mandatory if your stupid enough to drink & drive and put innocients in danger because you're a putz.
...Hell, in Mexico, it's just the norm to drink and drive, drive freakin' blind letting a 5 year old be your eyes, no biggie. If your Meskin and DONT want to stop at a red light or stop sign, just honk your horn and blast thru the light, not RARE but the NORM!
Your truck can be runnin' on bald tires no windows and foggin' for mosquetoes and carrying two dozen people; but, if you have a workin' horn, your good to go.
...This poop will only stop when the buzzards along the border are so fat they can't get off the ground from feeding on the bodies of illegals that have been stopped.
...Spend a year in Mexico and you get a entire new prespective on the difference in culture...a LOT like the Mideast when it comes to women too...[;)]
He is here illegally, but he had a drivers licence at one point.
No insurance. A drunk. When is this going to end?
Some nice sisal rope and a sturdy tree will end this POS's sorry life.
Send the body back to Me-he-ko freight collect[}:)]
Jayme Bluhm, on the other hand, will never forgive herself for not ensuring young Josie was properly secured, even if she did everything that could reasonably be expected.
Brad Steele
When is this going to end?
Sadly, it is not going to. [V]
Maybe something could have been done a couple of amnesties ago.
Friday, May 15, 2009 - 11:45:55 am CDT
OMAHA, Neb. - A 27-year-old Omaha man has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a collision that fatally injured a 4-year-old Omaha girl this week.
Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa appeared in Douglas County Court on Friday to enter his plea on charges of misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide and felony driving under suspension. His bail has been set at $1 million.
He also waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
Police say he ran a red light and struck a minivan driven by Jayme Bluhm on a west Omaha street early Tuesday. Bluhm's 4-year-old daughter, Josie, was thrown from the van and suffered critical injuries. The girl died Wednesday after she was taken off life support.
Bluhm and two of her other children also were injured.
Rangel-Ochoa's license was suspended for 15 years in January 2003 following his third drunken-driving conviction in Nebraska.
Federal authorities also have placed a hold on Rangel-Ochoa because he's suspected of being in the country illegally. That will allow them to determine whether he is to be deported after the Douglas County case concludes.
His attorney, Joseph Lopez-Wilson, said following Friday's hearing that his client has been living in the United States for 14 years.
Josie Bluhm's funeral is set for Saturday.
Her brother who is 5 is in critical condition. Still trying to
find if his condition has been updated.