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Heroes and Hell at Avon Mountain 20-Car Crash Site
Survivor Shares Story in New Book Released to Benefit Victims
September 9, 2009 -- At 7:38 a.m. on July 29, 2005, a speeding, brake-worn, 35-ton,
uninsured
dump truck collided into a cluster of cars and a commuter bus stopped at a red light at the base
of Avon Mountain. Dozens were hurt, trapped and alone in fire, smoke and confusion. Within
minutes, 300 firefighters, police, emergency medical workers and passersby were on the scene
frantically working to save lives. Five people died and many more lives were affected by the
tragedy at the base of the mountain.
The heroism and the hell of that day and its aftermath are captured in Smoke, Fire and
Angels, a book released September 24 by Mark Robinson, a commuter from Canton who was in
the front row of traffic that morning, with nothing between him and the out-of-control truck.
All book profits will be donated to families who lost loved ones in the crash.
Smoke, Fire and Angels tells the dramatic, inside story of the rescuers, the
victims
and their families. It delves into the warning signs and red flags that if heeded could have
prevented the tragedy, and it details controversial trial proceedings that followed.
Smoke, Fire and Angels recounts the courage and grace of the rescuers - emergency personnel
and passersby alike.
Mark's memory of that morning includes the start of his commute to ING in Hartford and
waking up in the emergency room, but nothing about the fiery crash itself. With nine broken
bones and a punctured lung, he was flown by a LifeStar helicopter to Hartford Hospital. When he
learned that people died in cars surrounding his own, Mark decided he needed to fill in the
blanks of what really happened that morning.
He interviewed more than one hundred people over the past four years collecting accounts from
victims, family members, rescue workers, eyewitnesses, state officials and others who helped
piece the story together. It's a story that includes the beloved special education teacher
who left behind five daughters, ages 3-8; the bus driver and his sacred promise to his daughter;
the dentist from Belarus and the "angels" who rescued her from her burning car.
"I was on the receiving end of amazing courage and kindness," Mark wrote in the
book's introduction. "I came face-to-face with death and was, for some unfathomable
reason, granted a reprieve." He knew he had to find the facts behind the tragedy and tell
the story of what happened before, during and after the crash. "Because for some of us
waiting at that light at the base of Avon Mountain that day, life would never be the same."
All proceeds from the sale of Smoke, Fire and Angels will be donated to a fund to
help
those most seriously affected by the crash. For information on how to buy the book and/or donate
to the victims fund, please go to www.smokefireandangels.com.
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