City deals with a fatal collision

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Thursday, December 17, 1998 3:00 AM CST

Survivor of speeding car is on critical list

BY MARCI LAEHR TENUTA and JOE BUTTWEILER Journal Times

photos by Mark Hertzberg

(map ran with story also)

RACINE An 18-year-old man remained in critical condition at Froedtert Memorial Hospital in Wauwatosa late Wednesday, the lone survivor of a car carrying three youths that smashed into a city bus Tuesday night.

Anthony R. Miller, 17, of 1504 Erie St., Racine, and Shane L. Klema, 18, of 13011 7 Mile Road, Caledonia, died from the collision.

David J. Scholzen, of 1224 Ellis Ave., Racine, suffered head and leg injuries. He was initially taken to St. Mary's Medical Center and later transported by a Flight For Life medical helicopter to Froedtert.

Racine police reports said the accident occurred just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday when a Belle Urban System bus was struck by a car driven by Klema. Sgt. Tom Christensen, public information officer for the Racine Police Department, said the bus was northbound on LaSalle Street, crossing Hagerer Street, when it was struck by Klema's eastbound vehicle.

Racine police are still investigating the accident. Alcohol was found at the scene of the collision.

``We are investigating that alcohol may have been a contributing factor in this accident," Christensen said.

Christensen said initial reports indicate that Klema's car passed through the stop sign without stopping.

When the car struck the side of the bus, according to Christensen, the collision caused the bus to veer out of control and hit a parked car. The bus proceeded to hit a car parked in a driveway of a home on the east side of LaSalle Street, overturning the car. The bus landed on top of the flipped car and its two occupants.

Christensen said Klema's car veered to the west side of the road, made minor contact with a parked vehicle and struck a house. The car rested in the middle of the sidewalk on the west side of LaSalle Street.

Two boys were in the parked car that ended up underneath the bus, but neither suffered serious injury.

Parvez Awan, 16, of 2824 Winthrop Ave., Racine, and Romero Ramirez, 8, of 2117 Kentucky St., Racine, were trapped in the upside down car pinned beneath the bus. Ramirez was treated for minor injuries at St. Mary's Medical Center Tuesday and released. Awan was treated for a laceration to his elbow at St. Mary's and was released Wednesday afternoon.

The driver of the bus was Christopher C. Candido, 53, of 2509 Ashland Ave., who has been with the Belle Urban System for about six months, said John Diers, general manager of the bus system. He said Candido has been an outstanding employee with no record of accidents and quite a bit of previous experience as a bus driver.

Diers said Candido was ``in good shape physically" after the accident but was shaken up.

Candido could not be reached for comment.

Diers said Candido explained to him that he was in the intersection when he saw the car approach at a high rate of speed.

``He said he heard the engine roar," Diers said. ``He said it was almost like it was accelerating."

Diers said the bus system hadn't had a chance to estimate damage to the bus, although it was extensive.

The bus also struck a parked car and a utility pole in the accident. The utility pole snapped in half and landed on top of the bus, bringing power lines with it.

A spokesman for Wisconsin Electric said 40 customers in the immediate area of the collision lost power due to the broken utility pole.

Service to all but about 10 homes was restored by about 1 a.m. Wednesday. The rest were back on line around 10 a.m.

Lori Martinsen, of 1011 Hagerer St., said she and her husband, Jens Martinsen, had a difficult night Tuesday. They had no heat or electricity, and visions of the accident haunted them. Martinsen said her husband was one of the first people to rush to the crash site.

``^Tuesday night, when it hit, it hit so hard it was like an explosion. It didn't sound like cars hitting or buses hitting," she said. ``I've never seen an accident before in my life. I hope to God I never see another one."

Martinsen said that after calling the police she went to join her husband.

``When I got to the corner there was nothing but smoke and a sheet of glass and gas everywhere. You couldn't even see the other vehicles."

Martinsen said her husband, along with Ramirez's uncle, attempted to pull the two boys out from under the bus.

``They could hear someone screaming, `Help us! Help us!' " she said. ``He said he could hear the little boy ^Ramirez screaming, and it botered him."

Jens Martinsen was also the first to open the door to Klema's car, according to his wife.

``He went into shock," she said. ``He held the door of the car so it wouldn't fall to the ground and then he said, `My God, these guys are covered in blood.' "

Martinsen said she thinks the accident has taken an emotional toll on her husband. ``We had a pretty rough night," she said. ``It scared me to death.

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