Local News
Victims killed in Ferrisburgh plane crash identified
A tragic plane crash in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, claimed the lives of a teenager and three adults on Sunday. The four-seat, single-engine Piper aircraft departed Windham Airport in Connecticut at approximately 8:30 AM, embarking on a two-hour flight to Basin Harbor Airport.
The plane successfully landed, and the occupants arrived for a brunch reservation at Basin Harbor. After departing the restaurant shortly after noon, the plane was expected to return to Connecticut. However, when it failed to arrive as scheduled, relatives of the occupants contacted authorities.
Through the use of cellphone location data, police and the Federal Aviation Administration determined that the plane’s last known location was near the airstrip in Vermont.
Middletown police notified the Vermont State Police of the situation at around 10:20 PM on Sunday.
Troopers from the New Haven Barracks, along with members of the Middlebury Police Department and the Vergennes Fire Department, responded to the scene.
With the assistance of a drone operated by Middlebury police, investigators located the wreckage of the aircraft in a wooded area east of the Basin Harbor Airport at approximately 12:20 AM on Monday.
The four victims, identified as Paul Pelletier (55), Frank Rodriquez (88), Susan Van Ness (51), and Delilah Van Ness (15), were pronounced dead at the scene.
Their bodies were transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for autopsies to determine the cause and manner of death.
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. — Authorities have identified the woman killed in a fatal crash Monday morning that also left a child injured in Jefferson County.
According to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office, the victim has been identified as 32-year-old Erica Nicole Austin, a resident of Birmingham.
The collision occurred early Monday morning and involved a passenger vehicle and a dump truck, said Center Point Fire District Chief Brandon Dahlen.
Emergency crews were dispatched to the scene shortly after the crash was reported.
Upon arrival, first responders found Austin critically injured. Despite efforts to assist, she was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:46 a.m.
A child who was traveling with Austin sustained injuries in the collision and was transported by Center Point Fire and Rescue to Children’s of Alabama for treatment. The child’s condition has not been released.
The driver of the dump truck was not injured, officials confirmed.
The impact of the collision led to a complete closure of the roadway for approximately five hours as authorities worked to investigate the scene and clear the wreckage.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team is leading the investigation to determine the circumstances that led to the deadly crash.
No additional details have been released at this time.