cyclospora:
I saw the picture. What did he do to make that happen to his car?
Two young drunk females, one was a teen, were driving (racing) in front of some drunk friends in a second vehicle alongside a river road. The road curved to the left but the truck lost control, went sideways and was about 45 degrees into a rollover to the right when they struck a tree.
The adult passenger took the entire impact. She bit the tree so she had to be looking at it.
The truck went air born and into another tree where it left the camper shell suspended high above the roadway. It continued to the river where it landed on its right side, still pointed close to its original direction of travel.
The witnesses said the truck sat there for quite a while. They had time to get to it and try and help until the bank gave way and the truck disappeared into the water.
Normally it is an hour drive from CdA to that location. We made it a little quicker, got suited up, got the driver out and in medics hands while still within the Golden Hour.
The passenger went missing. We searched for a couple of weeks and even had the SS work for a week. Knowing she was in such a confined area we couldnt call the dive.
I had my suspicions as did some others on the team but legally we couldnt look for her there. So when we were sure she wasnt in the water we called it and waited for Mother Nature to assist us.
When the water flows started again she showed up right where we thought she would.
When the truck came to rest and hang there for a minute or two, it was on an overhang. It was in only about 12 of water where the outside bend in the river had under cut it. The weight of the truck caused the bank to give way and roll into the deeper water.
The passenger came out of the truck as it sat on the ledge and went to the bottom where she stayed until the ledge failed and buried her. Between the thick clay and heavy truck in packed her in like a concrete tomb. When the water started flowing it re-cut the bank and freed her.
The environmental laws prevented us from digging her out. Only of we knew she was there FOR SURE would they give us the permission to dig into the river bank.
This was a tough one where we used every tool we had to find her but Mother Nature just wanted to keep her.
Cause of death was drowning for both of them. Neither would have lived from the trauma they received but drowning just got there first.
The bar that served them, knowing their ages and level of intoxication, got a 30 day suspension. They took the suspension during the winter when they were closed anyway. After the suspension they filed Bankruptcy to get out of the civil side. The system sucks.
Here is the sat pic.
It happened on the north side of the river where the road and river make the left turn towards the point.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?t=1&s=11&x=1301&y=13146&z=11&w=1
Gary D.
