This is a sad day for the NASA Family. Yesterday’s vanpool
accident involving employees of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL) has taken the lives of three of our own: Dorothy M. Forks,
an employee records specialist in JPL’s Human Resources Office,
Jane F. Galloway, a manager in JPL’s Business Operations Office,
and Kerri L. Agey, an administrator for Wackenhut Security, a
contractor at JPL. Of the seven passengers injured in the
accident, as of this morning two have been released from the
hospital, one is in good condition, two are in fair condition,
one has been upgraded from critical condition to poor condition,
and one remains in critical but stable condition. We pray for
the speedy recovery of those who remain hospitalized.
We deeply appreciate the swift and professional help provided at
the accident scene on the Angeles Forest Highway by the
California Highway Patrol, Los Angeles County Fire Department,
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and other public safety
organizations.
On behalf of the NASA Family, I wish to express my sincere
condolences to the families of the employees killed in the
accident and deep concern to the families of those injured. We
have lowered flags at all NASA Centers to half-staff to honor the
memory of the three employees killed in the accident. The Jet
Propulsion Laboratory will hold a moment of silence in respect to
our fallen colleagues today at 11:00 a.m. PST (2:00 p.m. EST).
May God bless our fallen colleagues and their family members.
Sean O’Keefe
NASA Administrator
