Two ultralight aircraft crash; one pilot dies
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The pilot who crashed near Enumclaw was pronounced dead at the scene, said King County sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart. The victim's identity was not immediately known.
The pilot who suffered burns at Bandera was taken to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center and treated.
KING-TV reported that the ultralight burst into flames after the crash, touching off a small brush fire that was extinguished immediately.
Federal Way
Swimmer, 33, drowns at Five Mile Lake
A 33-year-old man drowned yesterday evening while swimming in Five Mile Lake near Federal Way.
A dive team recovered the man's body, but rescuers were unable to revive him, said King County sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart. The man's identity was not immediately known.
Seattle
Two men's conditions satisfactory after crash
Two Eastside men in a Jeep that crashed off an Interstate 5 exit ramp Saturday evening were listed in satisfactory condition yesterday at Harborview Medical Center.
A third man, who was driving a van hit by the falling Jeep, declined to let his condition be released by hospital personnel.
Juantonio R. Rush of Sammamish was driving the Jeep on the offramp to Northeast 80th Street when the vehicle crashed through a fence and landed upside-down on the van on the freeway, the State Patrol said. Derrick R. Dotson of Redmond was listed as Rush's passenger.
The van driver was identified as Ronald O. Stead of Olympia.
Shoreline
Suspects sought in drive-by shooting
King County sheriff's deputies were searching for suspects in a drive-by shooting that occurred as a party appeared to be breaking up about 1 a.m. yesterday. Two victims were taken to Harborview Medical Center and treated for minor injuries, said sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart.
No detailed description of the suspects was immediately available, and the motive for the shooting wasn't known.
Portland
Parents sue rescuers after teenager's death
The parents of a teenager who died after falling from the rim of the Crooked River Gorge have filed a $9.5 million lawsuit against those who attempted to save him.
The suit, filed at U.S. District Court in Portland, claims that Elijah Keller of Redmond did not receive proper medical care from the rescue crew. Keller, 15, was with friends when he fell more than 20 feet on June 18, 2001. News reports at the time said Keller landed on a slender ledge of rock and was hit in the head by a rock.
Crooked River fire medics arrived about 90 minutes later and hoisted Keller, still conscious, out of the gorge. He was taken to a hospital in Bend, where he died a few hours later from internal and head injuries.
The suit, filed by Patricia and Michael Keller, alleges that the teenager wasn't strapped down properly when rescuers put him on a stretcher, and "his head fell sharply down to his chest during the lift up to the side of the cliff."
Attorney Robert Lowry, who is representing the Crooked River Ranch Rural Fire Protection District and the rescue workers named in the suit, said those who responded did everything they could.
Juneau, Alaska
Coast Guard to check cruise ships in port
The Coast Guard plans to make on-board inspections of cruise ships docking in Juneau, Alaska, this season.
And by July 1, vessels of all sizes, ports and offshore platforms will have to implement regulations from the Maritime Transportation Security Act signed by President Bush in November 2002. Plans include monitoring passenger, crew, baggage and cargo security.
In Seattle, a Coast Guard spokesman could not immediately say yesterday whether similar plans were being made for the cruise ships docking there.
The new regulations are coupled with new international safety rules. Many vessels, including large passenger ships, must have an automatic-identification system installed to signal locations and safety status.
There also will be a device to allow ships' officers to signal immediately for help by satellite in the event of piracy or terrorism.
Portland
Man drowns in river after aiding girlfriend
A 29-year-old man drowned in the Sandy River this weekend after first rescuing his girlfriend from the strong currents at Lewis & Clark State Park.
Police declined to release the couple's identities until their families could be notified.
The pair were swimming Saturday afternoon when the woman, 34, started swimming to an island. When she began to struggle in the current, her boyfriend stepped in to help, police said.
As the man pulled her onto the island, he took another step into deeper water and disappeared.
Salem, Ore.
Firefighters contain blaze in timberland
Firefighters contained one of the first wildfires of the season near Dallas yesterday, after it burned about 50 acres on a recently logged clearcut and in second-growth timber.
The Fanno Ridge Fire was reported Friday evening on property owned by the Boise Cascade timber-products company and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The cause is still under investigation.
About 100 firefighters responded Saturday morning, said Jerry Piering, state forester in Dallas. No homes or buildings were in danger.
Seattle Times staff and news services