Tonawanda News — Deer jumps out, hits motorcyclist
STAFF REPORTS
A 60-year-old motorcyclist was hit by a deer while driving on Two Mile Creek Road in the City of Tonawanda Thursday night.
David W. Reitz, of Parkwood Avenue, Kenmore, was driving his 2005 Yamaha at about 11:34 p.m. when a deer jumped out of the woods and collided with the motorcycle.
“The bike flew 150 feet, he went flying 75 feet,” Lt. Fredric Foels said.
Reitz suffered bruises, cuts and shoulder injuries and was taken to DeGraff Memorial Hospital.
The deer got up after the crash and ran back into the woods.
According to Foels, the city sees about 10 or 12 deer collisions per year.
“We see a good amount on Two Mile Creek because of the woods surrounding the road,” Foels said. “There is a big deer population there.”
Vet, 88, killed while cutting
down trees
STAFF REPORTS
HARTLAND — An 88-year-old World War II veteran was killed while cutting down trees on his property Thursday, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office reported on Friday.
Melvin J. Nichols of 7685 Wheeler Road was pronounced dead at the scene. He was a lifetime resident of Gasport and a member of the Gasport American Legion Post 1253 and the Hartland Historical Society.
Nichols enlisted in the Navy in 1941 and was honorably discharged in 1946. He served on several ships and was original crew member on the USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier.
An honorary graduate of Lockport High School, he was a master craftsman and worked as a self-employed contractor. He built many homes in the area, including his own. Nichols enjoyed woodworking, farming, working on his tractors and logging the woods near his home.
Nichols married Dorothy Grice in Norfolk, Va.. She died in 1993.
Nichols, the son of the Edward and Elsie Nichols, was born in Lockport in 1923. He is survived by his children, James Nichols of Indiana; Donna Eckman of Argentina; Steve Nichols of Hamburg; Jan Harris of Rochester and Joyce Wright of Gasport.
Visitation will be held at the Sherrie-Bream Funeral Home in Gasport on Monday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Ridgewood Bible Church.
Man Who Disrupted Flight Ranted About CIA
Feds: 7-Eleven Stores Exploited Immigrants
Fla. Teen Catches Ride With Whale Shark
G8 Leaders Huddle on Syria
Raw: Obama, Putin Meet at G8
Iran's Rowhani Urges 'Path of Moderation'
Daughter: Mandela Doing 'Very Well'
Investigators Probe Origin of Colo. Wildfire
Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail
'Game of Thrones' Boosts N. Ireland
Raw: Prince Philip Leaves Hospital After Surgery
Zimmerman Jury Selection Turns to Media Exposure
Raw: FBI Meets Plane After Poison Threat
Family Tweets Say Kim Kardashian Gives Birth
US, EU Leaders Announce Free Trade Talks
