Author name: CCAR Staff

NICE, France (AP) — Tributes poured in for French driver Jules Bianchi, who died from injuries sustained in a head-on crash during the Japanese Grand Prix last October.

The 25-year-old Bianchi died in a hospital in his hometown of Nice, his family said in a statement released early Saturday.

Nice was about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the track where he sealed the best performance of his young Formula One career, the Monaco Grand Prix. It was on Monaco’s tight and sinewy circuit last year that Bianchi, driving for Marussia — now known as Manor Marussia — finished in ninth place and gave the unheralded team its best finish and first points in F1.

“Words cannot describe the enormous sadness within our team this morning, as we come to terms with losing Jules,” said John Booth, team principal of Manor Marussia. “He has left an indelible mark on all our lives, and will forever be part of everything we have achieved, and everything we will strive for going forward.”

Bianchi’s drive that day was a mixture of flair, steely determination, and panache; exactly the traits that were spotted in him early on, when he was touted as a future star after graduating from the Ferrari academy in 2009. He competed in 34 grand prix.

“Jules was a shining talent. He was destined for great things in our sport: Success he so richly deserved,” Booth said in a statement. “He was also a magnificent human being, making a lasting impression on countless people all over the world … he was an extremely warm, humble and intensely likable person who lit up our garage and our lives.”

F1 champion Lewis Hamilton tweeted: “A sad, sad day today, guys. Please pray for Jules’ loved ones. RIP Jules. God bless.” His Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg also offered his condolences.

Bianchi was a much-liked driver in the sometimes edgy and brittle F1 championship.

Countryman Romain Grosjean, a rival driver for Lotus, expressed that reality in this tweet: “Yesterday we lost one of the best guys and best drivers I’ve ever met. I’ll miss you so much my friend.”

British driver Max Chilton, Bianchi’s teammate last year, tweeted: “No words can describe what his family and the sport have lost. All I can say it was a pleasure knowing and racing you.”

McLaren tweeted: “The thoughts of everybody at McLaren are with the friends and family of Jules Bianchi. You will be sorely missed. (hashtag)RIPJules (hashtag)ForzaJules”

Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne, who raced against Grosjean and Bianchi, said: “I have no words… We will miss you my old friend…” Alongside his tweet, Vergne added a photo of a fresh-faced Bianchi, the joy and optimism clear on his face.

As part of its online tributes, L’Equipe’s website showed a collection of pictures of a young Bianchi.

One showed Bianchi aged 4, driving a toy go-kart, a look of fixed concentration on his face, and another with proud father and son together after a junior karting race.

“He only had that (racing) in mind,” his father Philippe said in an interview with Var-Matin newspaper. “We looked after a track in Antibes and he would spend his time watching the customers going around the tarmac. As soon as his feet touched the pedals, he wanted to climb into a kart.”

Former F1 driver Jean Alesi, who raced in 202 GPs, also paid his respects.

“He fought right until the end. We thought a miracle could happen,” Alesi told RMC radio. “He was an endearing boy, very fair on the track and outside of it. He was well loved. He was joie de vivre personified. It’s a shock for everyone.”

Bianchi was from racing stock.

His great uncle Lucien Bianchi raced in 17 GPs and competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours. He died in 1969, in an accident during testing at the Le Mans track, a year after winning the race.

“The world of motor sport is in mourning today,” motor sport’s governing body FIA said in a statement. “The sport has lost one of the most talented drivers of this generation, from a family that has such a strong presence in the history of the sport.”

Bianchi is the first driver to die of injuries sustained in an F1 race since three-time world champion Ayrton Senna and Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger were killed at the 1994 San Marino GP.

Bianchi died at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Nice, where he had been since his emergency treatment in Japan in the days after the accident.

“Twenty-one years after the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, we have now lost Jules, who has died as a direct consequence of an on-track accident,” the Grand Prix Drivers Association said in a statement. “Despite considerable improvements, we, the Grand Prix drivers, owe it to the racing community, to the lost ones and to Jules, his family and friends, to never relent in improving safety.”

Bianchi’s accident occurred at the end of the race at the Suzuka circuit. In rainy, gloomy conditions, Bianchi’s car slid off the track and ploughed into a crane picking up the Sauber of German driver Adrian Sutil, who crashed in the same spot one lap earlier.

“Last night we lost a truly great guy and a real fighter,” British driver Jenson Button, the 2009 F1 champion, tweeted.

Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas of the Williams team tweeted “You will be never forgotten.”

Nicolas Deschaux, the president of the French Motorsport Federation, paid tribute on France Info radio.

“Jules Bianchi was one of the surest hopes for French motorsport,” Deschaux said. “He was brimming with talent and well-liked by all drivers. The world of motorsport is grieving today.”

Tributes came in from outside of F1, and outside of sport itself.

The Elysee Palace of French President Francois Hollande expressed its “sincere condolences.”

World rally champion Sebastien Ogier tweeted: “So sad to hear Jules Bianchi passed away,” while French tennis player Caroline Garcia said, “Such sadness to hear about the death of Jules Bianchi at the age of 25.”

Luc Alphand, a former French Alpine skier who then switched sports and drove in the Dakar Rally, said on BFMTV that “when destiny strikes in this way, it’s truly awful.”

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AP Sports Writer Chris Lines in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Nearly 400,000 California driver’s licenses were issued to undocumented immigrants in the first half of this year as part of a massive effort to allow them to drive legally in the Golden State, officials announced Friday.

During the first six months that the Safe Driver and Responsibility Act — or AB 60 — went into effect, the Department of Motor Vehicles saw more than 600,000 applications from undocumented immigrants. Of those, state officials said, 397,000 met all requirements to drive in California — more than half the overall total of 759,000 licenses distributed for the same time period.

It’s unclear how many of those who obtained licenses under AB 60 registered vehicles or bought insurance, DMV officials said. But there appears to be no spike in the increases in vehicle registration seen in the last few years due to improvements in the economy, according to the agency.

“The latest numbers reflect the continued successful implementation of AB 60,” said DMV Director Jean Shiomoto in a statement. “The DMV was determined to develop a process that would not only meet the stringent requirements of this new law, but also the unique needs of our newly expanded customer base.”

The DMV prepared for months for the increase in applications and was provided with an additional $141 million in its budget to open temporary offices across the state, conduct community workshops and provide sample tests. The agency also hired nearly 1,000 new employees to help process the applications.

An estimated 1.5 million applications from undocumented immigrants are expected to be processed over the next three years, DMV officials have said.

“We definitely saw a rush in January and February when we were very busy,” said Jennifer Gonzalez, spokeswoman for the DMV. “Now we’re starting to see that trend go down. I think people may be holding back, or maybe they need to study or still get their documents ready.”

The DMV is continuing to update the type of documents needed to verify identity and residency from more countries, including consular cards from Colombia and Ecuador and passports from Tonga, Sri Lanka and the Republic of Korea. Before the additions, people were sent to a “second revision” phase, which meant their applications were put on hold.

But one area where officials look to see improvements is in the results of the written test. Before AB 60, about half of all test takers failed the knowledge exam. That percentage has not changed under the new law, Gonzalez said.

“With AB 60, we promoted studying,” she said. “We were hoping to see that pass-fail rate improve.”

Efforts to better those results are ongoing in the community, said Angelica Salas, executive director for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, or CHIRLA. Her organization launched several courses to help people understand the rules of the road.

One of the challenges CHIRLA found was a literacy issue among test takers. That prompted instructors to find different ways to teach material.

“Many of them don’t have formal education,” Salas said of the immigrant community. “This is the first time that they went to an exam situation.”

Although AB 60 has its critics, who say the licenses normalize the presence of undocumented immigrants in California and the United States, Salas said the DMV program has given people the opportunity to buy better cars and purchase insurance, which can boost their employment opportunities and benefit the overall community.

“We’re a great example to the country,” Salas said of California. “This has been a most successful undertaking. People really trust the program.”

SAN DIMAS >> A truck driver died along the 10 Freeway in San Dimas after suffering an apparent medical problem Saturday, officials said.

The incident was first reported on the eastbound 10 Freeway, just west of the 57 Freeway, according to California Highway Patrol logs.

Paramedics responded to a report of a medical issue when they encountered the truck driver, described only as a man, in his truck, parked on the freeway shoulder, Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Cheryl Sims said.

Paramedics reported that the man was in full cardiac arrest and pronounced dead at the scene, she said.

POMONA >> A 68-year-old man died today from injuries he suffered when the vehicle he was driving went over an embankment in Pomona.

The crash occurred about 5:20 p.m. on Mission Boulevard east of Phillips Drive, according to Pomona police.

Joseph Holbrook of Montclair was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

JOHANNESBURG >> A commuter train crashed into another passenger train during rush hour Friday in South Africa’s largest city injuring more than 300 people, an emergency services spokeswoman said.

Nana Radebe, spokeswoman for Johannesburg Emergency Services, said 326 people were rushed to nearby hospitals with minor to serious injuries. No fatalities were reported.

“For now we have removed people with minor to serious injuries, but none critical,” she said, adding that firefighters searched for commuters who may have been trapped inside the train cars.

The trains were on the same track, Radebe told The Associated Press, and it appeared that a traveling train collided with a stationary train.

“What we do know is that one vehicle rear ended the other,” said Russel Meiring, a spokesman for ER24, a private emergency service.

Meiring said his crew counted more than 200 injured on the scene. Injured passengers were treated “absolutely everywhere” where paramedics could find space around the wreckage before being taken to hospital, Meiring said.

“The one train had stopped because of a signal when another came from behind us hooting and smashed into its back,” one commuter told the African News Agency.

The accident happened at rush hour between two stations, with both trains traveling from the Johannesburg city center to the township of Soweto, said Lillian Mofokeng, the Metrorail spokeswoman for the Gauteng province.

The cause of the accident was unknown and authorities were still gathering information about the collision, Mofokeng said.

“Our priority right now is just to attend to the injured and then arrange alternative transport,” she said. About 100 passengers who were not injured would be bussed home, said Mofokeng.

In April, two passenger trains collided south of Johannesburg, killing the conductor of one of the trains and injuring 241 people.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. >> Federal safety officials on Tuesday urged commercial buses to have more clearly labeled emergency exits and safety briefings similar to those on planes after their investigation of a deadly collision in California in which a tractor-trailer slammed into a bus full of students.

Dozens of students struggled to escape the burning, smoke-filled bus after the FedEx truck veered across an interstate median about 100 miles north of Sacramento and struck it head-on April 10, 2014. Both drivers, five students and their three adult chaperones died.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators determined the truck driver, 32-year-old Timothy Evans, losing control was the probable cause of the crash, but they couldn’t conclude why. The agency said the driver’s actions weren’t consistent with him falling asleep, but may suggest he had a seizure or fainted.

The federal investigation also found that students struggled to escape from the bus because of poorly labeled exits and no safety instructions as required by the bus company’s policy.

The four-member NTSB at its meeting in Washington, D.C., voted to urge regulators to improve emergency exits and add fire-resistant materials to buses so it is easier for passengers to survive crashes.

NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said the case exposed “double standards in regulations protecting motor coach passengers.”

“When plane crashes are survivable, many more people survive,” said Hart.

Board officials said buses should have the path to emergency exits light up after crashes and a black box-style data recorder, while drivers should offer safety instructions as flight attendants do.

The bus driver on the first leg of the California trip told investigators he did not show a six-minute safety video at the start of the trip, according to NTSB records.

More than half of the 29 students interviewed did not know which windows were designated as emergency exits, and some shattered other panels to escape. Those who climbed out had to drop 7 feet.

The NTSB is urging new buses to have second doors that double as easier escape options, as is standard in Europe.

The bus was equipped with seat belts ahead of a federal mandate taking effect next year, but not all students were wearing them.

The investigation also raised questions about fire safety.

The bus exploded into flames after the crash, and at least two passengers died of asphyxiation. Board officials said decades-old standards for vehicle materials withstanding fires should be updated because they treat a four-passenger sedan the same as a double-decker bus and don’t take into account fires ignited by crashes.

Victor Parra, president and CEO of the United Motorcoach Association, said some of the NTSB’s safety recommendations may make sense, but should be backed up by science showing they’ll make a difference.

“Buses are the safest way to travel on the nation’s highways, bar none,” said Parra. “We have plenty of exits now; it’s a matter of making passengers aware of what they are and how they use them.”

The NTSB can recommend safety rules, but it’s up to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to enact them. NTSB officials have criticized agencies for ignoring its calls, some decadeslong, to shore up bus safety.

The bus in California’s crash was carrying 44 students from Southern California for a free tour of Humboldt State University. Many were hoping to be the first in their families to attend college.

FedEx and the bus company, Silverado Stages Inc., are facing lawsuits from survivors of the crash and families of the victims.

FedEx did not comment on the NTSB’s findings, and Silverado Stages CEO John Busskohl did not immediately respond to an email and calls.

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This story has been corrected to show the date of crash was April 10, 2014, not April 14, 2014.

SEATTLE >> A 16-year-old girl survived a small-plane crash in the rugged mountains of north-central Washington state and then hiked through thick forest to reach safety in what one official called “a miracle.”

But searchers still were looking for the wreckage and the teen’s two step-grandparents who also were aboard. There was no official word on Leland and Sharon Bowman of Marion, Montana, three days after the aircraft went down.

Autumn Veatch said the plane crashed and caught fire after flying into a bank of clouds, according to authorities. She remained at the crash site for a day before deciding to hike down, eventually finding a trail and following it to the trailhead on a highway near the east entrance to North Cascades National Park.

A motorist picked her up Monday afternoon and drove her 30 miles east to a general store, where employees called 911.

Veatch has no life-threatening injuries but was dehydrated and suffering from a treatable muscle tissue breakdown caused by vigorous exercise without food or water, said Scott Graham, CEO of Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster. She stayed at the hospital overnight to rest and get hydrated.

“It’s a miracle, no question about it,” Lt. Col. Jeffrey Lustick of the Civil Air Patrol told reporters, saying he has spent 30 years in search and rescue. “Moments of joy like this can be hard to find.”

Her father, David Veatch of Bellingham, told reporters outside the hospital late Monday that his daughter was exhausted but doing remarkably well. She was able to joke with him about the survival shows they watched together on television, he said.

“She’s just an amazing kid,” David Veatch said. “There’s more to her than she knows.”

The Beech A-35 left Kalispell, Montana, on Saturday afternoon, heading for Lynden, Washington. The plane crossed the Idaho-Washington border about 2:20 p.m. PDT but dropped off the radar near Omak, Washington, about an hour later, officials said.

Leland Bowman was issued a private pilot license in 2011, and the plane, manufactured in 1949, was registered to him, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

Navy helicopters searched for the wreckage until late Monday, several hours after fixed-wing planes suspended their efforts. The search would resume Tuesday, weather permitting, said Barbara LaBoe, a Washington state Transportation Department spokeswoman.

Rescuers earlier narrowed down a search area based on cellphone data and typical flight patterns. But there was no sign of the aircraft or its occupants until the teen walked out of the woods.

The girl had been “walking for a couple of days,” Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said. He called her feat “pretty impressive.”

Serena Lockwood, the manager at the Mazama Store, said the girl and a driver came in Monday afternoon, saying she had been in a plane crash.

“She was obviously pretty traumatized,” Lockwood said.

Associated Press writer Phuong Le contributed to this report.

SAN DIMAS >> A local Formula Drift driver is asking the public’s help to recover a two-car trailer that was stolen from his shop in San Dimas on Sunday.

Justin Pawlak said the approximately $6,000 trailer was taken sometime after 3 p.m. Sunday. He discovered the theft Monday morning.

“It’s the trailer we use to take our cars to local track events,” he said. “I definitely don’t have means to replace it right now.”

Pawlak said he used a forklift to move the trailer to a hard-to-access location and lock it up, “but there’s skidmarks where a truck or something yanked it out to break off the lock.”

The trailer was not insured, however, and Pawlak said he could not find paperwork to file a police report on the theft. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Elisabeth Sachs confirmed that deputies responded to a call for service Monday morning but that no report was filed.

Pawlak took to social media Monday to spread the word about the stolen trailer, and a public Facebook post had been shared more than 450 times.

The trailer had a weathered Arizona license plate, T95219, and custom-built ramps attached to the side of the trailer. This is not the first time Pawlak has been a victim of trailer thieves, he said.

“I don’t know what I have to do to secure my stuff, short of sleeping at my shop,” he said. “My only hope is that somebody recognizes it and tips me off.”

Anyone with information about the trailer was asked to email Pawlak at hotlineperformance@gmail.com.

Authorities are searching for a driver who drove off after striking and killing a woman in Lytle Creek.

Jennifer Stoops, a 35-year-old transient, was found lying on the northbound shoulder of Lytle Creek Road, north of Glen Helen Road, in Lytle Creek on Friday night, according to the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office.

Paramedics took the woman to a hospital, where she died in the emergency room, officials said.

California Highway Patrol officials are treating this as a hit-and-run and are looking for the driver or anyone who may have witnessed the incident. Anyone with any information is asked to call the California Highway Patrol Inland division at 909-806-2400.