oddly enough

oddly enough

Man accused of buying auto insurance from scene of wreck

ALTOONA, Pa.

Authorities say a Pennsylvania man called an insurance company from a crash scene to buy auto coverage and later claimed his wreck happened after he got the policy.

The Altoona Mirror reports that the insurance fraud charges filed this week against 33-year-old Michael Traveny stem from an Aug. 21 crash in Duncansville.

State prosecutors say Traveny didn’t have insurance when he crashed that night, so he called Safe Auto Insurance from the scene and purchased coverage without mentioning the wreck.

Prosecutors say Traveny filed a $3,900 claim the next day claiming the crash happened after the policy took effect.

Online court records don’t list an attorney for Traveny. He faces a preliminary hearing March 17.

Firefighters rescue dog trapped in gap between walls

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.

Los Angeles County firefighters got creative to rescue a dog that had fallen into a 6-inch-wide gap in West Hollywood, Calif.

Inspector Randall Wright says a dozen firefighters were called to the scene Monday afternoon. They found a 60-pound dog wedged upside down between a house wall and a retaining wall.

Wright says every time the dog whimpered, he slid further.

Firefighters couldn’t just pull him out, so they improvised. They slid a pole under the dog, tied webbing ropes to his front paws, soaped up his fur and pulled.

They wriggled the dog out far enough to grab his back paws. A few tugs, and the pooch was free.

Wright says the dog appeared healthy, and neighbors returned him to his family.

It’s unclear how he got stuck.

City stops ticketing residents for failing to shovel sidewalks

READING, Pa.

One eastern Pennsylvania city has stopped ticketing residents who don’t shovel snow and ice from their sidewalks after acknowledging its own crews haven’t been able to properly clear snow from city properties either.

Public Works Director Ralph Johnson tells the Reading Eagle that freezing rain Tuesday created an icy coating on sidewalks that made them harder to clear as more snow was expected Thursday.

The city owns more than 100 properties and has prioritized plowing streets during the recent bad weather.

Still, Johnson says officials are asking city hall employees to volunteer for crews to clear sidewalks on city-owned properties, too. The city requires residents to remove snow and ice from a path at least 3 feet wide on sidewalks and around fire hydrants.

Associated Press