Rich Behm, 33, Dallas Cowboys Scouting Assistant, Permanently Paralyzed after Structure Collapses Due to Bad Weather, Three Others Hospitalized

The practice facility was supported by a steel
canopy structure. DallasCowboys.com

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Rich Behm, 33, a Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant, who was permanently paralyzed from the waist down after his spine was severed during the collapse of the team's "bubble" practice structure during a "microburst" spawned by inclement weather which moved through the state yesterday. He reportedly sustained a fracture to the thoracic spine (10^th thoracic vertebrae).

Behm was among the 12 people hurt in the accident, and was one of three Cowboys staffers who remained hospitalized. Also hospitalized were Joe DeCamillis, 43, the team's new special teams coach, sustained a fracture of one of his cervical vertebrae without paralysis, as well as assistant athletic trainer Greg Gaither, 35, who had surgery Saturday night to repair a fracture to the tibia and fibula in his right leg.

According to media reports, about 70 people, including 27 players attending a rookie minicamp, were in the structure when the storm hit. Wind in the area around that time was clocked at 64 mph. Officials from the National Weather Service said a "microburst" may have pushed the wind beyond 70 mph at the top of the structure that was built in 2003.

The no-frills building, which cost about $4 million, was pretty much a 100-yard football field with a few more yards of clearance all the way around. The roof was 80 feet high, the equivalent of an eight-story building. There may be some legal issues for Summit Structures LLC, which was involved in building the facility. According to media reports, a Pennsylvania court ruled in 2003 that the company was negligent in the design and construction of a membrane-covered building that collapsed in 2003 after a major snowstorm in Philadelphia. The building was constructed for the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. I know this cannot fix the health of the injured, but if this company sold an inferior product, then they need to be held accountable.

Chanton Jenkins, Struggling to Use Cellphone While Driving, Reportedly Fails Sobriety Tests After Car Slid into Swollen Ditch, Five Children Drowned

Driving under the influence of alcohol and struggling to use a cellular phone is a deadly combination by any stretch of the imagination. That's just what Chanton Jenkins has been accused of doing as he lost control of his car yesterday and slid into a ditch. The sad reality is that there are always victims that don't deserve the fate they are dealt. You see, five children drowned as the car slid into a rain-swollen ditch near Greens Bayou. Houston Police Department spokesperson Kese Smith said Jenkins is expected to be charged with at least one count of intoxication manslaughter.

Three of the children's bodies -- males ages four, seven and 11 years old -- have been recovered from the car, but the other two -- girls ages one and three -- are believed to have been swept away in the fast moving current. Jenkins is reportedly the father of four of the children. Houston Fire Department Assistant Chief Omero Longoria told reporters that rescue workers found the car in a drainage ditch filled with nine feet of water at approximately 7:30 p.m. Saturday, almost 100 feet from where the driver lost control more than two hours earlier at approximately 5 p.m.

The car, possibly a Lincoln Continental, was caught up in a flash flood as thunderstorms moved through Houston. It is believed some of the passengers, including at least two adult brothers and one child, were able to escape the vehicle before it fell in.

Police confirm that the driver did fail a field sobriety test after officers say they smelled the odor of alcohol on his breath. Cannon said his blood alcohol level would be verified to determine if he was intoxicated. The man who was the passenger told investigators that his brother was struggling to hold a cell phone when he allegedly lost control of the car. Source: My Fox Houston

We have to wait to see if the allegations of intoxication are true, but people have to realize that using a cellphone while driving, especially in inclement weather, can have disastrous results. I have seen too many people driving extremely slow because they are on the cellphone and cannot operate the vehicle normally, essentially holding up traffic. That's an accident waiting to happen. It is unfortunate that this man is being accused of reckless driving that resulted in the deaths of five children. That's a burden no-one in their right mind would want to bear. These children died senselessly and if he is in fact guilty of driving under the influence, he should be charged with the deaths of each child, not just one count of intoxication manslaughter. Sorry, drinking and driving and using a cellphone is a deadly combination.