The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "accident reports" ...
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The Blowout
Three-and-a-half weeks after the Deepwater Horizon blowout, 60 Minutes gave an accurate depiction of what happened. Michael Williams, the rig's chief electronics technician, described key events he had witnessed in the weeks leading up to the disaster.
Tags: Deepwater Horizon; blowout; oil rig; accident reports; oil drilling; environmental disaster
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Crash Reports
The reporter finds that a new district attorney chooses not to follow up on pending negligent vehicular homicide cases, thereby enabling many of the drivers to continue driving on the road.
Tags: car accident; manslaughter; driver; district attorney; crash report
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RGJ Special Report: DUI in Nevada
The reporter found that licenses were being granted too soon to DUI offenders whose accidents had caused death or substantial bodily harm. Offenders were not serving their full two years behind bars and instead were allowed to get out on a house arrest program.
Tags: DUI; drunk driving; Department of Corrections; Mothers Against Drunk Driving; prison
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Runaway Toyotas
Toyota has recently been in the news following “hundreds of owners having their vehicles suddenly accelerating out of control”. The investigation revealed “over two thousand cases of runaway Toyotas and Lexus cars, including reports of 200 accidents and 16 deaths”. Toyota blamed many of these accidents on the floor mat becoming stuck under the gas pedal and this was the cause of the acceleration.
Tags: automobiles; electronic computer system; safety; highway; drivers; manufacturers; transportation
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"Dodging DWIs"
The criminal justice system in St. Louis "has failed to punish drunken drivers." After multiple people were killed in drunk driving related accidents, reporters revealed that in St. Louis County, felony charges were not often issued to repeat offenders. Few people accused of a DWI actually have it placed on their record. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has called for an examination of the broken system.
Tags: Jay Nixon; Robert McCulloch; St. Louis; St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney; drunk driving; DWI; DUI; driving while intoxicated
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"Hidden Mistakes"
In Connecticut, the "adverse-event" law is supposed to ensure that hospitals report medical accidents that cause harm or death to patients to the state Department of Public Health. The law was revised in 2004 and since then the number of reported adverse-event cases has dropped "dramatically," suggesting that the medical mishaps are not being shared with the public and the state.
Tags: Bridgeport Hospital; Connecticut Center for Patient Safety; Connecticut Department of Public Health; Wendy Furniss; malpractice; Hartford Hospital; Terri Schiavo; Institute of Medicine
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Fatal RV Flaws
"Poorly secured cabinets, braking issues, along with a lack of safety inspections or RV's, has led to the death and serious injury of hundreds of drivers and passengers."
Tags: RV; recreational vehicles; safety inspection; fatalities; NHTSA; FARS; Washington State Patrol accident reports
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Too much time, Too few answers
The Crandall Canyon min in Huntington, Utah collapsed, killing six miners and a subsequent cave-ion took the lives of three rescuers. The event was blamed on a mine bounce, when pressure from the roof causes the thick coal pillars supporting the roof to explode. Several months earlier in March a major bounce occurred 900 feet from where the collapse in August happened, and it was never reported to federal mine regulators. Mining experts wondered why the federal regulators approved the original mine plan to begin with.
Tags: accident; mine; land management; coal; mine safety; Robert Murray; Richard Stickler; MSHA
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The Buried and the Dead
This series raises questions about Texas' oversight of the gas pipeline industry. The reporters found that state regulators often ignore safety violations because of unethical relationships with the companies involved. Despite several recent fatal pipeline accidents, and federal and industry warnings, conditions in the state have not improved.
Tags: gas; safety; state government; utilities; Texas Railroad Commission
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Biodefense Security Failures in Texas
"Following a watchdog's report that a Texas A&M researcher had been infected with the bioterror agent Brucella in a lab, The Dallas Morning News used state and federal open records laws to pursue dozens of additional security breaches and disease exposures at other state universities."
Tags: bioterror; biodefense; security breaches; lab accidents; disease control; disease exposures