Amherst News-Times, 1997-06-25

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Amherst News-Time
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Wednesday, June 25, 1997
Amherst, Ohio
Area man crushed by tons of dirt on job
by BILL ROSS
News-Times reporter
A South Amherst man was killed
in a construction accident last week
when ihe wall of a trench lhat he
was working in collapsed on top of
him.
Chad A. I .amies, 30, was pronounced   dead   at   1:01   p.m.  on
Thursday, June 19, at the construction site on S. Lake Street, about a
quarter mile north of Middle Ridge
Road.
Amherst police received the call
at 11:53 a.m., according to patrolman Hector Rivera, who arrived on
the scene shortly thereafter.
Construction workers at a nearby
house immediately ran to the scene
after the accident and tried to dig
Landes out. "When wc arrived they
had his face uncovered and were already attempting to revive him,"
Rivera said.
Landes, who was employed by
Associated Contractors of Wakeman, was making a watcrlinc connection in the 12-fool deep trench to
the Cooper's Run housing development, when the four to five tons of
clay wall suddenly caved in on him.
Co-worker Scott Hayncs was also
in the trench at the time but was
able to scramble to safety. He did
not request medical treatment.
A Cleveland MetroHealth Lifef-
light helicopter arrived on the scene
and was joined by ambulance teams
from both Amhersl and Lorain as
they attempted to save Landes. They
performed CPR.on him for at least
25 minutes, according to Rivera.
Bul emergency workers were
never able to bring back a pulse or
respiration from him and an autopsy
revealed he died from severe head
and neck injuries, according to Lorain County coroner Paul Matus.
Landes and Haynes were working
inside a steel trench box used for
cavc-in protection, according to Matus, but had stepped outside of il
briefly to work on a lateral  line
when ihe collaps<
'There was ton:
lapsed on lop of]
lieve killed him' s
said.
He added lhat recent rains had
waterlogged the soil, which has a
heavy clay content. There arc also
veins of sandy soil in the area which
CONTINUED on page 2
More than
golden
High school mates
make a life out of
loving each other
by BILL ROSS
News-Times reporter
Two lifelong residents of Amherst will be proving this
weekend that if you "lake lime
lor each other," your marriage
can pass the test of time.
Raymond and Amelia Nickel
will be celebrating their 67th
wedding anniversary on Saturday at Amherst Manor; they
have known each other since
ihey were high school
sweethearts at the old Central
School back in the 1920s.
The Nickels have one
daughter, Barbara Fricke. who
also lives in Amhersl and said
her "parems' constant devotion
lo one another" is whal has
made their marriage so very
special.
The Nickels were married on
June 28, 1930, in ihe parsonage
of Sl. Peter's United Church of
Christ by a Reverend Schmidt.
They have been lifelong members of the church and have always lived in Amherst.
Fricke said her father and
mother, now 88 and 85 years
old, wailed until Amelia graduated from Central before tying
ihc knot.
"My father lived right next
door to Central," Fricke explained. "So he would still be in
his  room   until   that  last  bell
CONTINUED on page 5
Amelia and Raymond Nickel relax together in the sun room at Amherst Manor prior to the midday meal.
Kid crime
keep cops
working
in summer
by BILL ROSS
News-Times reporter
Two incidents last week involving juveniles and Amhersl police officers contradict several recent complaints lhal the police department
has nothing belter to do than to harass Amherst's youth.
In one case, two juveniles who
had beaten and robbed a 12-year-old
boy in Maude Neiding Park, were
promptly apprehended by Amherst
police and booked into the Lorain
County Detention Home.
And later that same day, a
makeshift war between juveniles
who utilized smoke bombs, sparklers and eggs was stopped and mediated by Amherst police, who negotiated a mutual cleanup rather
than making arrests.
In the first case on June 16, the
12-year-old was invited lo go to the
park with two older boys whom he
assumcc  to be his friends.
Bul just before 7 p.m., as the boys
were talking under some trees in the
center of the park, one of the youths
suddenly attacked the 12-year-old.
beating him aboul the face and
body, while the other juvenile
jumped on top of the victim lo hold
him down.
As the younger boy gol up and
tried to escape, his two assailants
Stole a $70 pager lhal his father had
purchased for him.
The boy's father called the Amherst Police Department, and patrolman Diane Mahar and Mark
Cawihon responded to take a report.
The victim only knew one of the
boy's last name, the other one who
was less well known to him lives in
Lorain and is the cousin of the first
assailant, who lives in Amhersl.
"We were able to pick up one
juvenile thai same night, and found
CONTINUED on p«ge 5
Cats have one less life to live
Two kittens
survive trip
in car engine
You might say a local jeweler
found a couple of diamonds in
the rough when he spotted the
first of two charcoal-gray kittens
drop from underneath a car
parked in downtown Amhersl
last week.
David Goline, owner of
Dave's Gold & Jewelry Repair
ai 280 Church Sl., said he was
gazing oul his window last
Tuesday morning when he saw
what appeared to be "a little puf-
fball" drop to ihe pavement from
underneath a blue station wagon
parked across from his shop.
'Then ii started to move and I
realized il was a kitten," Goline
explained. "I ran across the
street and picked him up — and
then another one dropped down
and this lime it was a girl."
For a moment, Goline thought
it might be raining cats, minus
ihc dogs. Then wilh two charcoal kitties held firmly in his
arms, Goline began to rock the
vehicle in case there were any
more reckless felines hiding in
ihc engine compartment.
Bui the brother and sister
team were the only ones who
had hitched a ride, so Goline's
next mission was to determine
who their chauffeur was.
He tried the beauty shop next
door to his business, and although the clients found the kittens (who seemed no worse for
wear) adorable, none could lay
claim to litem.
"I knew Angelo's wasn't
open yet, so then I tried the
Chatterbox Restaurant and that's
where I found John," Goline
said.
CONTINUED on page 2
David Goline displays the sibling hitchhikers
he saw exiting from the engine compartment
of John Washburn's station wagon. Washburn
(wearing hat), said the eight-week-old kittens
are available for adoption.
Big fines
may stop
parking
abusers
by BILL ROSS
News-Times reporter
Although the city has done some
work in the past to make Amherst
more accessible to the physcially
challenged, a local advocacy group
maintains there is still room for improvement, and came before council
last week to address the problem.
Tom Kuhlman is a Vietnam War
veteran who is classified as 100 percent disabled by the Veterans Association due to injuries he received
overseas.
In the 1970s, Kuhlman came before city council in a successful effort to have handicapped parking
places installed at the downtown
street comers, and has been working
since to improve the situation for
persons with disabilities.
Bui things have noi changed as
much as he would have liked and at
a finance committee meeting held
June 16, Kuhlman requested council
raise handicapped parking fines lo
$500, issue $1,000 fines to persons
illegally using another person's
handicapped parking permit and lo
address other issues relating lo
creating smoke-free environments
and ensuring buildings arc accessible lo the physically challenged.
"The American wilh Disabilities
Act says lhat all barriers lo disabled
persons should come down, invisible or otherwise," Kuhlman lold
council members. "Ninety percent
of the buildings in Amherst arc in
non-compliance for disabled
facilities."
Kuhlman and other disabled associates founded a non-profit organization called the American wilh
Disabilities Act Advocacy Consulting and Mediation group in an attempt to put greater pressure on
CONTINUED on page 6