And yeah...the 25yr old driver died in this shit....
[flash]http://www.liveleak.com/e/561_1207098893[/flash]
Emergency workers work on the scene of a semi trailer that rolled off the 184 St. train overpass on the Yellowhead Trail in Edmonton March 31. The driver of the truck was pronounced dead on scene. (SUN MEDIA/PERRY MAH)
Truck crash rocks Grande Cache
Wrong-way semi driver suffered from diabetes
By RENATO GANDIA, SUN MEDIA
The Edmonton Sun
A small western Alberta town is reeling following the horrific death of a man whose truck plunged off an Edmonton overpass and erupted into a fireball.
Several Grande Cache business owners who spoke to Sun Media yesterday said the town was abuzz over the tragic death of local resident Mark Santos, 25, the driver of the wrong-way semi that forced numerous motorists on Yellowhead Trail to run off the road to avoid a head-on collision Monday afternoon.
Friends and family, meanwhile, defended the dead man, who they say had had Type 1 diabetes since he was a child. Friends suggested the medical condition may have triggered Santos's bizarre driving behaviour.
A family friend, who said Santos introduced him to his fiancee, refuted suggestions by some eyewitnesses that his buddy was trying to hit other cars.
"Mark would never hurt anybody," said the friend, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "He would never have done this to anyone intentionally."
The friend said in the six years he has known Santos, he's seen "a few situations where he's blacked out" because of his diabetes.
But whatever was going on in the cab of that semi, the friend said, "I know he tried not to let things get any worse than they already were.
"He is not a hurtful person," added the friend. "People have to realize that diabetes is a serious problem."
At 1:15 p.m. Monday, city cops received numerous calls about a semi heading eastbound in the westbound lanes of the Yellowhead for about 15 km.
The erratic driving caused other vehicles to veer off the road, said police. Around the 178 Street area, the semi struck a middle guardrail, rolled, fell onto CN tracks and exploded.
"I don't know what to say. It's very painful," said Maria Santos, the driver's grandmother in Grande Cache.
She said Santos's parents were in Edmonton yesterday speaking with police and were expected back home today.
"It's certainly a shock to everybody," said Grande Cache Mayor Louise Krewusik. She heard about the fatal crash around 11 p.m. Monday.
"When you hear a tragedy like that, you just never suspect it's going to be somebody you know and someone who lived in your community. It's a terrible, terrible thing for him, as well as his family and friends."
The mayor said the Santoses have strong family ties and they are well respected and well thought of in the town of more than 3,800 residents, 433 km northwest of Edmonton.
Krewusik said she had known Santos since he was a student at Summit View Middle School, where she was a former principal.
Type 1 diabetics can suffer from loss of consciousness for minutes or hours, said Dr. James Shapiro, a diabetes expert.
"It begins with sleepiness and disconnection with the surroundings and eventually if the blood sugar falls dangerously low, the person loses consciousness.
"We have treated 100 patients with severe hypoglycemia. In other situations, we have come across many patients who have had motor vehicle accidents where they are not responsible for their actions."
Source Link
[flash]http://www.liveleak.com/e/561_1207098893[/flash]
Emergency workers work on the scene of a semi trailer that rolled off the 184 St. train overpass on the Yellowhead Trail in Edmonton March 31. The driver of the truck was pronounced dead on scene. (SUN MEDIA/PERRY MAH)
Wrong-way semi driver suffered from diabetes
By RENATO GANDIA, SUN MEDIA
The Edmonton Sun
A small western Alberta town is reeling following the horrific death of a man whose truck plunged off an Edmonton overpass and erupted into a fireball.
Several Grande Cache business owners who spoke to Sun Media yesterday said the town was abuzz over the tragic death of local resident Mark Santos, 25, the driver of the wrong-way semi that forced numerous motorists on Yellowhead Trail to run off the road to avoid a head-on collision Monday afternoon.
Friends and family, meanwhile, defended the dead man, who they say had had Type 1 diabetes since he was a child. Friends suggested the medical condition may have triggered Santos's bizarre driving behaviour.
A family friend, who said Santos introduced him to his fiancee, refuted suggestions by some eyewitnesses that his buddy was trying to hit other cars.
"Mark would never hurt anybody," said the friend, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "He would never have done this to anyone intentionally."
The friend said in the six years he has known Santos, he's seen "a few situations where he's blacked out" because of his diabetes.
But whatever was going on in the cab of that semi, the friend said, "I know he tried not to let things get any worse than they already were.
"He is not a hurtful person," added the friend. "People have to realize that diabetes is a serious problem."
At 1:15 p.m. Monday, city cops received numerous calls about a semi heading eastbound in the westbound lanes of the Yellowhead for about 15 km.
The erratic driving caused other vehicles to veer off the road, said police. Around the 178 Street area, the semi struck a middle guardrail, rolled, fell onto CN tracks and exploded.
"I don't know what to say. It's very painful," said Maria Santos, the driver's grandmother in Grande Cache.
She said Santos's parents were in Edmonton yesterday speaking with police and were expected back home today.
"It's certainly a shock to everybody," said Grande Cache Mayor Louise Krewusik. She heard about the fatal crash around 11 p.m. Monday.
"When you hear a tragedy like that, you just never suspect it's going to be somebody you know and someone who lived in your community. It's a terrible, terrible thing for him, as well as his family and friends."
The mayor said the Santoses have strong family ties and they are well respected and well thought of in the town of more than 3,800 residents, 433 km northwest of Edmonton.
Krewusik said she had known Santos since he was a student at Summit View Middle School, where she was a former principal.
Type 1 diabetics can suffer from loss of consciousness for minutes or hours, said Dr. James Shapiro, a diabetes expert.
"It begins with sleepiness and disconnection with the surroundings and eventually if the blood sugar falls dangerously low, the person loses consciousness.
"We have treated 100 patients with severe hypoglycemia. In other situations, we have come across many patients who have had motor vehicle accidents where they are not responsible for their actions."
Source Link
