More than four years after a family from Mason was killed in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 75, the woman accused of killing them is on trial.Abby Michaels, 25, of Xenia, faces six counts of murder and three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide. Last Friday, three additional counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and an OVI charge were dismissed.On March 17, 2019, prosecutors said Michaels intentionally drove the wrong way on the interstate and crashed into another car killing Timmy Thompson, 51, his wife Karen Thompson, 50 and their 10-year-old daughter Tessa.The Thompsons were on their way home to Mason after visiting family when they were hit head-on."By nightfall, that living family was no longer alive," assistant Montgomery County prosecutor Bryan Moore said in his opening statement.Prosecutors said other drivers saw Michaels' car drive through an emergency turn-around and head north in the southbound lanes."And they watch in horror as that vehicle collides with the Thompson vehicle. That vehicle is being driven, controlled by Abby Michaels," Moore said. Defense attorney Jay Adams called what happened tragic but said there is more to the story."This issue is whether or not Abby Michaels acted knowingly. That's the whole case," Adams said. Adams said Michaels had suffered for years from a seizure disorder."At the end of this, Abby Michaels was involved in a tragic event with the Thompson family. That is very sad, but she didn't murder anybody. She suffered from a medical condition," Adams said.One of the first people to testify Monday was Michaels' husband at the time of the crash, Kyle Pastorelle. He had filed for divorce two days prior and was not with Michaels that night.Prosecutors showed surveillance footage of Michaels wearing a festive, green and white St. Patrick's Day hat at Ron's Pizza in Miamisburg.Prosecutors pointed her out in the video leaving the restaurant at 7:43 p.m. that night.Eleven minutes later, Pastorelle said Michaels called him asking to come over."I was pretty adamant on 'No, we're not doing this. It's not going to happen,' and that's when she told me that — she was driving at the time — and that's when she told me she was going to drive backwards on 75," Pastorelle said. Pastorelle said Michaels sent him a text message a few minutes later and said, "Goodbye. I love you. I'm dying now." By 8:10 p.m., Moraine police were dispatched to the deadly crash.During cross-examination, Pastorelle testified to Michaels' medical issues."You were asked about seizures and whether you've actually seen any in the seven years. You know she's had them, correct?" Adams asked.Pastorelle said, "Yeah."Adams asked, "You know she's been hospitalized for them, correct?""Yes," Pastorelle answered.The bench trial is expected to last most of the week.

Two passenger trains derailed Friday in India, killing more than 200 people and trapping hundreds of others inside more than a dozen damaged rail cars, officials said.Related video above: Concern over rail safety in U.S. after recent train accidents The accident that happened about 137 miles southwest of Kolkata created a chaotic scene of twisted wreckage and desperate rescuers as teams tried to free passengers and recover bodies. The cause was under investigation.About 900 people were injured in the accident, Odisha state’s top bureaucrat, P.K. Jena, said in a tweet.Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson.The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, and up to three coaches of the second train also derailed, Sharma said.The Press Trust reported that a third train carrying freight was also involved, but there was no immediate confirmation from railroad authorities. The Press Trust report said some of the derailed passenger coaches hit cars from the freight train.The death toll rose steadily throughout the night. As dawn approached, the top bureaucrat in the eastern state of Odisha announced that at least 207 were dead.In the aftermath, television images showed rescuers climbing atop the wreckage to break open doors and windows and using cutting torches to free survivors.Officials said 1,200 rescuers worked with 115 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units through the night at the accident site.Villagers said they rushed to the site to evacuate people after hearing a loud sound created by the train coaches going off the tracks.“The local people really went out on a limb to help us. They not only helped in pulling out people, but retrieved our luggage and got us water,” PTI cited Rupam Banerjee, a survivor, as saying.Passenger Vandana Kaleda told the New Delhi Television news channel that she “found people falling on each other” as her coach shook violently and veered off the tracks. She said she was lucky to survive.Another survivor who did not give his name said he was sleeping when the impact woke him up. He said he saw other passengers with broken limbs and disfigured faces.The Press Trust said the derailed Coromandel Express was traveling from Howrah in West Bengal state to Chennai, the capital of southern Tamil Nadu state.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his thoughts were with the bereaved families."May the injured recover soon,” tweeted Modi, who said he had spoken to the railway minister and that “all possible assistance” was being offered.Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India’s railways, the largest train network under one management in the world.In August 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in the worst train accident in India’s history.In 2016, a passenger train slid off the tracks between the cities of Indore and Patna, killing 146 people.Most train accidents are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 40,000 miles of track.

Two passenger trains derailed Friday in India, killing more than 200 people and trapping hundreds of others inside more than a dozen damaged rail cars, officials said.

Related video above: Concern over rail safety in U.S. after recent train accidents

The accident that happened about 137 miles southwest of Kolkata created a chaotic scene of twisted wreckage and desperate rescuers as teams tried to free passengers and recover bodies. The cause was under investigation.

About 900 people were injured in the accident, Odisha state’s top bureaucrat, P.K. Jena, said in a tweet.

Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson.

The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, and up to three coaches of the second train also derailed, Sharma said.

The Press Trust reported that a third train carrying freight was also involved, but there was no immediate confirmation from railroad authorities. The Press Trust report said some of the derailed passenger coaches hit cars from the freight train.

ANI/Reuters

The death toll rose steadily throughout the night. As dawn approached, the top bureaucrat in the eastern state of Odisha announced that at least 207 were dead.

In the aftermath, television images showed rescuers climbing atop the wreckage to break open doors and windows and using cutting torches to free survivors.

Officials said 1,200 rescuers worked with 115 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units through the night at the accident site.

Villagers said they rushed to the site to evacuate people after hearing a loud sound created by the train coaches going off the tracks.

“The local people really went out on a limb to help us. They not only helped in pulling out people, but retrieved our luggage and got us water,” PTI cited Rupam Banerjee, a survivor, as saying.

ANI/Reuters

Passenger Vandana Kaleda told the New Delhi Television news channel that she “found people falling on each other” as her coach shook violently and veered off the tracks. She said she was lucky to survive.

Another survivor who did not give his name said he was sleeping when the impact woke him up. He said he saw other passengers with broken limbs and disfigured faces.

The Press Trust said the derailed Coromandel Express was traveling from Howrah in West Bengal state to Chennai, the capital of southern Tamil Nadu state.

ANI/Reuters

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his thoughts were with the bereaved families.

"May the injured recover soon,” tweeted Modi, who said he had spoken to the railway minister and that “all possible assistance” was being offered.

Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India’s railways, the largest train network under one management in the world.

In August 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in the worst train accident in India’s history.

ANI/Reuters

In 2016, a passenger train slid off the tracks between the cities of Indore and Patna, killing 146 people.

Most train accidents are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.

More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 40,000 miles of track.

An Alaska fishing adventure became a nightmare for a family of eight when disaster struck one of the two boats they chartered over the Memorial Day weekend, leaving three people dead and two more missing despite a desperate search over hundreds of square miles of ocean.Related video above: Billions of snow crabs have vanished from Alaskan watersThe tragedy tore the Tyau family apart: Two sisters and one of their husbands are dead, while the other’s partner and the boat captain remain missing off southeast Alaska four days after the boat was found partially submerged off an island.Authorities suspended a more than 20-hour search covering 825 square miles on Monday and have no plans to resume it.The women's parents, older brother and sister-in-law were on the other charter boat as part of a three-day trip to a destination fishery known for king salmon and groundfish.The sisters and their sister-in-law didn’t like fishing but joined the vacation to spend more time with a family that was usually split between Hawaii and Los Angeles.“It was just supposed to be a simple family get-together for eight of us, since we haven’t been together in the same spot for so long,” Michael Tyau, the older brother, told The Associated Press on Thursday. “For it to turn out like this is really devastating.”The Tyau siblings – Michael, Brandi and Danielle – grew up fishing in Hawaii with their parents. Michael Tyau said his sisters hated being cold and wet but would endure it for their water-loving parents and later their partners.Brandi Tyau's longtime partner, Robert Solis – a Navy diver-turned-private investigator who was stationed in Hawaii when they met decades ago – was someone for whom "the ocean really was his life," one of Solis’ brothers said.So when the Tyau siblings' mother suggested a family trip last year, a fishing vacation in the Sitka Sound won out."My sisters, I think, reluctantly agreed," Michael Tyau said.He and his wife flew from Los Angeles to Alaska on Thursday with Brandi Tyau, 56, and Solis, 61. They met up with their parents, sister Danielle Agcaoili, 53, and her husband, 57-year-old Maury Agcaoili, all Hawaii residents.The whole family stayed in a lodge owned by charter boat company Kingfisher Charters in Sitka. The small port city with a backdrop of a stunning volcanic mountain is located on the shore of Baranof Island, which is part of a cluster of islands dripping off Alaska's southeast coastline.The area is a "premier fishing destination" for tourists because the many bays and passageways created by the islands provide protection from the wind and waves on days when the open sea is too rough, Kingfisher Charters says on its website.Forrest Braden, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Guides Organization, said anglers often stay for multiple days on trips to the region."It's more of a fishing-themed trip for a lot of people, rather than being one of a variety of activities that they do," he said.The boats the Tyau clan chartered, named the Pockets and the Awakin, set out Friday amid rough conditions. Michael Tyau said his sisters and wife spent the day's voyage seasick in the two boats’ cabins and skipped Saturday’s trip to recover on land.When Sunday dawned, their last vacation day before Monday flights home, the women rejoined the boats.Danielle Agcaoili said "she didn’t want to let anybody down," Michael Tyau recalled through tears.The boat captains opted for different fishing spots. Aboard the Pockets, Michael Tyau said he "in no way felt in jeopardy, like this wasn’t safe for us to fish in."The Pockets returned to the lodge Sunday evening, but the family began worrying when Brandi Tyau, Danielle Agcaoili, Maury Agcaoili and Solis didn’t respond to text messages and never arrived for dinner.The Awakin hadn't come back, the charter company told Michael Tyau, and they lost radio contact with the captain, 32-year-old Morgan Robidou.What happened aboard the Awakin on Sunday remains unclear. Efforts to recover the 30-foot aluminum vessel have been hampered by rough seas and strong winds.The bodies of Brandi Tyau and Danielle Agcaoili were found inside the cabin. Maury Agcaoili's body was discovered near the boat. Solis and Robidou were still considered missing Thursday.The boat was last seen Sunday afternoon near Sitka, authorities said, but around 7 p.m. Sunday was found partially submerged off Low Island, about 10 miles west of Sitka. Coast Guard investigators are working to determine the timeline and cause of the incident. The area was experiencing 6-foot to 11-foot waves, a Coast Guard spokesperson said.Kingfisher Charters declined to respond to questions outside a statement released Wednesday saying the company is "devastated by the loss of the guests and captain of the Awakin" and is fully cooperating with an investigation it hopes "furnishes answers to the questions as to how it occurred."For the Tyau family, it’s too late. The deaths of Brandi Tyau, the reserved middle child who was a calming influence on Solis, and Danielle Agcaoili, the happy-go-lucky baby of the family who was often called "Dani," has been devastating.Brandi Tyau and Solis leave behind one son together, as well as Solis' three sons from a previous relationship. The Agcaoilis have two children, one of whom just graduated from high school.The family's vacation was meant for them to enjoy a holiday weekend away and bridge the gap between their homes in Hawaii and Los Angeles."I don’t think all eight of us have been together in over 10 years," Michael Tyau said.Now, only four are left.___Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press News Researcher Randy Herschaft in New York contributed.

An Alaska fishing adventure became a nightmare for a family of eight when disaster struck one of the two boats they chartered over the Memorial Day weekend, leaving three people dead and two more missing despite a desperate search over hundreds of square miles of ocean.

Related video above: Billions of snow crabs have vanished from Alaskan waters

The tragedy tore the Tyau family apart: Two sisters and one of their husbands are dead, while the other’s partner and the boat captain remain missing off southeast Alaska four days after the boat was found partially submerged off an island.

Authorities suspended a more than 20-hour search covering 825 square miles on Monday and have no plans to resume it.

The women's parents, older brother and sister-in-law were on the other charter boat as part of a three-day trip to a destination fishery known for king salmon and groundfish.

The sisters and their sister-in-law didn’t like fishing but joined the vacation to spend more time with a family that was usually split between Hawaii and Los Angeles.

“It was just supposed to be a simple family get-together for eight of us, since we haven’t been together in the same spot for so long,” Michael Tyau, the older brother, told The Associated Press on Thursday. “For it to turn out like this is really devastating.”

The Tyau siblings – Michael, Brandi and Danielle – grew up fishing in Hawaii with their parents. Michael Tyau said his sisters hated being cold and wet but would endure it for their water-loving parents and later their partners.

Brandi Tyau's longtime partner, Robert Solis – a Navy diver-turned-private investigator who was stationed in Hawaii when they met decades ago – was someone for whom "the ocean really was his life," one of Solis’ brothers said.

So when the Tyau siblings' mother suggested a family trip last year, a fishing vacation in the Sitka Sound won out.

"My sisters, I think, reluctantly agreed," Michael Tyau said.

He and his wife flew from Los Angeles to Alaska on Thursday with Brandi Tyau, 56, and Solis, 61. They met up with their parents, sister Danielle Agcaoili, 53, and her husband, 57-year-old Maury Agcaoili, all Hawaii residents.

The whole family stayed in a lodge owned by charter boat company Kingfisher Charters in Sitka. The small port city with a backdrop of a stunning volcanic mountain is located on the shore of Baranof Island, which is part of a cluster of islands dripping off Alaska's southeast coastline.

Vernon Tyau

The area is a "premier fishing destination" for tourists because the many bays and passageways created by the islands provide protection from the wind and waves on days when the open sea is too rough, Kingfisher Charters says on its website.

Forrest Braden, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Guides Organization, said anglers often stay for multiple days on trips to the region.

"It's more of a fishing-themed trip for a lot of people, rather than being one of a variety of activities that they do," he said.

The boats the Tyau clan chartered, named the Pockets and the Awakin, set out Friday amid rough conditions. Michael Tyau said his sisters and wife spent the day's voyage seasick in the two boats’ cabins and skipped Saturday’s trip to recover on land.

When Sunday dawned, their last vacation day before Monday flights home, the women rejoined the boats.

Danielle Agcaoili said "she didn’t want to let anybody down," Michael Tyau recalled through tears.

The boat captains opted for different fishing spots. Aboard the Pockets, Michael Tyau said he "in no way felt in jeopardy, like this wasn’t safe for us to fish in."

The Pockets returned to the lodge Sunday evening, but the family began worrying when Brandi Tyau, Danielle Agcaoili, Maury Agcaoili and Solis didn’t respond to text messages and never arrived for dinner.

The Awakin hadn't come back, the charter company told Michael Tyau, and they lost radio contact with the captain, 32-year-old Morgan Robidou.

What happened aboard the Awakin on Sunday remains unclear. Efforts to recover the 30-foot aluminum vessel have been hampered by rough seas and strong winds.

The bodies of Brandi Tyau and Danielle Agcaoili were found inside the cabin. Maury Agcaoili's body was discovered near the boat. Solis and Robidou were still considered missing Thursday.

The boat was last seen Sunday afternoon near Sitka, authorities said, but around 7 p.m. Sunday was found partially submerged off Low Island, about 10 miles west of Sitka.

Coast Guard investigators are working to determine the timeline and cause of the incident. The area was experiencing 6-foot to 11-foot waves, a Coast Guard spokesperson said.

Kingfisher Charters declined to respond to questions outside a statement released Wednesday saying the company is "devastated by the loss of the guests and captain of the Awakin" and is fully cooperating with an investigation it hopes "furnishes answers to the questions as to how it occurred."

For the Tyau family, it’s too late. The deaths of Brandi Tyau, the reserved middle child who was a calming influence on Solis, and Danielle Agcaoili, the happy-go-lucky baby of the family who was often called "Dani," has been devastating.

Brandi Tyau and Solis leave behind one son together, as well as Solis' three sons from a previous relationship. The Agcaoilis have two children, one of whom just graduated from high school.

The family's vacation was meant for them to enjoy a holiday weekend away and bridge the gap between their homes in Hawaii and Los Angeles.

"I don’t think all eight of us have been together in over 10 years," Michael Tyau said.

Now, only four are left.

___

Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press News Researcher Randy Herschaft in New York contributed.

Officials released the name of a woman was struck by a vehicle and killed while crossing a busy intersection in the Colerain Kroger parking lot Thursday.Janice Bennett has been identified as the pedestrian struck and killed on thhursday.“When I looked over, she was literally falling to the ground,” said Nick Smith. “It happened real fast.”The driver of the vehicle that hit the woman stopped and called 911.“I just hit a woman near Cincinnatus Saving and Loan, the Kroger parking lot,” said the man, who was almost too emotional to speak.Witnesses said the driver of the vehicle that hit the woman had been leaving the Kroger lot and was headed toward Springdale Avenue.Investigators said speed does not appear to be a factor.The woman is yet to be identified.Colerain police said it appears the woman was out for a walk. She did not have identification.A Colerain fire crew was nearby, but the woman couldn’t be saved.Colerain officials released a statement regarding the matter:"On 11/11/21 at approximately 11:53, Colerain Police and Fire units were dispatched to the Kroger Store at 3636 Springdale Road for a pedestrian struck. Colerain Engine Company 26 was already in the lot on an unrelated detail and arrived within seconds and began treating the victim while awaiting a transport unit. The victim was then taken to UC Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. The Colerain Police Traffic Safety Unit responded for the investigation. The investigation revealed that a Ford F150, being driven by Elliot Nance 54 of Cincinnati, was traveling west through the lot and began to turn south to exit onto Springdale Road. At the same time a pedestrian, identified as Janice Bennett 65 of Cincinnati, was walking east through the lot. As the truck turned, Bennett walked into the path of the vehicle and was struck. At this time, speed and impairment are not believed to be factors in the crash. Preliminary reports indicate that this is a tragic accident for all involved. The accident remains under investigation by the Traffic Safety Unit. Any witnesses are asked to call traffic investigators at 513-321-2677."

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