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Car burns on way to scrap heap

The Columbian
Published: November 4, 2009, 12:00am

All a local guy wanted to do on Monday was take his worn-out Dodge Neon to the shredder and collect a few bucks for it as scrap.

In preparation for the car’s last trip, he ran it nearly out of gas, a requirement of the shredding company, and he had his ownership papers in the 1996 junker to prove it was his.

But fate had other ideas.

As the man headed for the shredder on Monday, shortly before 2 p.m., he suddenly smelled gasoline.

The Dodge burst into flames at Southeast Columbia Way and Columbia River Drive, just south of state Highway 14. It sent up a column of smoke visible from at least 3 miles away, said Firefighter-spokesman Jim Flaherty with the Vancouver Fire Department.

“The driver suffered some minor singed hair when he initially believed he could extinguish the fire,” Flaherty said. “He mentioned that was a short-lived thought as the fire quickly grew in size and intensity.”

When firefighters arrived, the car was engulfed in flames and a couple of tires had blown, attracting a crowd of onlookers. Before firefighters got it doused, the blaze was crackling in a patch of grass.

Local traffic was diverted for about 20 minutes on Columbia Way while Vancouver firefighters brought the blaze under control. Vancouver police assisted with traffic control, Flaherty said.

When the excitement was over, the Neon’s owner had experienced a day to remember, or preferably forget.

Besides the singed hair, his ownership papers went up with the flames, which means he’ll have to apply for new documentation before he can have the Neon shredded and collect his money, Flaherty said.

The car was a total loss but will eventually find its way to the original destination — the scrap yard, Flaherty said.

Inmate dies after hanging in jail cell

An inmate at the Clark County Jail awaiting sentencing for a rape charge has died after hanging himself inside a jail cell, officials said.

William L. Ward died Oct. 28 of asphyxia, three days after he was found unconscious in a jail cell and rushed to Southwest Washington Medical Center.

Ward was in custody awaiting a Nov. 18 sentencing for third-degree rape. He was also serving time for driving under the influence and domestic violence fourth-degree assault convictions, said Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Schanaker.

At about 6:45 p.m. Oct. 25, Ward’s cell mate returned and found Ward hanging by his bedsheets from the cell’s sprinkler system. The cell mate alerted a custody officer.

Officers performed CPR on Ward and managed to resuscitate him, Schanaker said. He was taken to the hospital, where he died. His body was released to the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office, which ruled on the cause of death.

Schanaker said Ward had made earlier threats to commit suicide, but was not on suicide watch at the jail.

He was taking anti-anxiety and depression medications but had started “cheeking,” or not swallowing his pills, Schanaker said.

Body identified as I-205 bridge jumper

The body of a woman recovered Thursday from the Columbia River has been identified as the person who jumped from the Interstate 205 bridge Oct. 15.

Lidiya Cornelius, 59, of Fairview, Ore., died from blunt chest trauma, the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office reported Monday.

Cornelius’ body was recovered Thursday afternoon by sheriff’s marine deputies on the Clark County side of the river, near 5500 N.W. Lower River Road, said Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Schanaker.

Portland police officers had been trying to recover a woman who jumped from the I-205 bridge on Oct. 15. The incident backed up traffic during the morning rush-hour commute.

The medical examiner’s office confirmed Cornelius as the bridge jumper.

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