February 28, 2009
To: Battalion Chief/Public Information Officer Dana Burwell, Springfield (OR) Fire and Life Safety
From: Deborah Frisch, Ph.D. Eugene, OR
Re: Public records request re: Sherry Varo
Dear Chief Burwell,
I am a researcher in Eugene. I have a few factual questions regarding the response to 51st and Main Street at approximately 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24, 2009.
1.Who were the first responders from Springfield Fire and Life Safety? What time did they arrive at the scene?
2. At what time was Ms. Varo declared dead? Who declared Ms. Varo dead, prior to removing her from underneath the Nissan Stanza driven by Derek Jones?
3. At what time was Ms. Varo’s body covered? Who covered Ms. Varo’s body?
4. According to Nat Levy in the 2.25.09 Eugene Register Guard, “After 10 p.m., at the scene, her covered body remained trapped beneath the second vehicle [the Nissan driven by Mr. Jones]. At what time was Ms. Varo’s body removed from the scene?
5. Where was Ms. Varo’s body taken when it was removed from 51st and Main?
6. Intuitively, I would think it would make sense to transport a 17-year-old to RiverBend or Sacred Heart, prior to declaring her dead. Can you point me to the section of your Operations Manual that allows first responders to declare people dead prior to extracting them from beneath a motor vehicle?
I realize this is not your jurisdiction, but I have found SPD PIO Umenhofer and Chief Smith to be unprofessional in responding to public records requests. So if possible, I’d like to know the answers to the following questions as well. I understand that they are outside of your jurisdiction, so if you choose not to answer the questions below, please answer the questions above, which are in your jurisdiction.
Less than 24 hours after the accident, at 9:00 a.m. on February 25, 2009 KVAL news reported that “Police said that alcohol and speed were not factors in the crash.”
1.Did SPD Sergeant Richard Jones test the blood and/or urine of Ms. Raliff and Mr. Derek Jones to assess their BAL and to see if they had used illegal drugs such as marijuana? What are the results of those tests?
2. How was it determined by 9 a.m. on 2.25.09 that speed was not a factor in the crash that occurred at 9 p.m. on 2.24.09? Isn’t the fact that you were unable to remove Ms. Varo’s body from under the Nissan driven by Mr. Jones evidence that he was speeding and/or driving inattentively?
If you could email me the answers (dfrisch@pobox.com), that would be best. Otherwise, my mailing address is below.
