Out-of-date GPS Causes Man To Drive Off Bridge

An out-of-town driver following his car’s outdated GPS system drove off of a demolished Indiana bridge, killing his wife in the passenger seat, deputies said.

Iftikhar Hussain, 64, drove the couple’s 2014 Nissan Sentra off East Chicago’s Cline Avenue bridge — which closed in 2009 and is barricaded with bright orange barrels and cones. The car burst into flames after the 37-foot-plunge into pavement below, The Times of Munster reported.

His wife, 51-year-old Zohra Hussain, died from burns, police said. Iftikhar Hussain was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injures.

Lake County deputies said Hussain was likely following directions from his GPS navigation system, which instructed him to turn onto a ramp to the now-demolished bridge over the  Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal. The couple, from Chicago, were driving to visit family in Indiana and likely didn’t know the area, Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Patricia Van Til said.

While the road leading up to the bridge is marked with large signs that read “road closed,” orange barrels and other barricades, Hussain was likely paying more attention to his GPS than the road, deputies said.

The Cline Avenue bridge closed in 2009 after deterioration from years of use from heavy semi-trucks made it a safety risk. A year later, officials condemned it. Construction of a new bridge over the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal is scheduled to begin this spring.


Via: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/gps-may-have-told-man-to-drive-off-indiana-bridge-cops/ar-AAacOJs?ocid=DELLDHP

Husband Dies After Grabbing Steering Wheel During Fight

HOUSTON — A man was killed Friday after grabbing the steering wheel of a car his wife was driving as they argued, police said.

The Ford Explorer rolled over just around 1:45 a.m. CT on Interstate 69 here, and the man, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected. He was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition and later died, according to the Houston Police Department.

The names of the couple, who had moved recently to Houston, were not released.

The woman, who was wearing her seat belt, told officers that she and her husband were having a heated argument.

"The female didn't have any injuries," Sgt. J.D. Rossman said. "She was evaluated by a DWI officer and found not to be intoxicated."

Her husband grabbed the wheel from the passenger seat and jerked it, she said to investigators. The vehicle swerved. She lost control. It climbed over the median into oncoming traffic and rolled over, landing on an adjacent access road.

She was trapped inside until rescuers were able to extricate her and was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

No charges are expected to be filed, Rossman said.

Via: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/27/arguing-couple-traffic-accident/70545050/