Oct 01, 2011

The dump truck /Van crash in Mapleton

For several years after Signetics shut down I found myself lost as to what I could do to earn money for the family.  I made chocolates for Kara Chocolates for three years and toward the end of that began to study insurance sales. I often would find myself coming home at odd times of the morning and evening. This particular day however during the summer months I was coming home around 9:30 or 10:00 AM. I wasn’t really paying attention to much other than the radio as I was lost deep in thought about other things a s I often am while traveling. Now don’t get me wrong I do pay attention to my driving but my thoughts are also full of other things as well.

This particular morning though as I came up out of Springville to the top of the hill and started across the flats of Mapleton toward home my thoughts were quickly focused on a cloud of dust that was rising into the air at the end of town toward my home. I watched intently as I continued to drive toward it and then noticed as I got closer what seemed to be flags of various colors stretched across the road near the junction of 1600 West and 1600 South.  As I got closer though I came to realize that it was clothing and other debris from a crash. I neared the home of Juan Whiting and could see a dump truck turned on it’s side in his field just off the highway and then near the clothing was a blue van very similar to ours. I was in our car and the thought momentarily hit me that maybe Marie had been in the accident but looking closer I could tell it wasn’t ours. I pulled to a stop at the scene near the truck and asked a person who had also just pulled over if she had called 911. She replied that she hadn’t I quickly got back into my car and drove to Whiting’s front door. There was no answer so I returned to the car and back onto the highway determined to go over to Sammy Ogren’s home and make contact from there. As I drove the few feet to their driveway I saw them coming out and asked if they had contacted police to which they replied that they had.

I then returned to the crash and saw three to five cars parked on the side of the road and all the people standing near their car watching the truck. I asked if anyone had gone to check on the driver to which they all seemed amazed that they should do such a thing. I ran across the road and jumped the ditch and fence making quick time to the front cab of the truck where I could see through the windshield that they driver was laying on the passenger door and he was the only on in the cab. I climbed up onto the truck where onto the driver’s door where the window was open and there started to ask the driver if he was OK and what had happened. He was conscious and able to talk to me and began relating that as he came past the intersection that he had seen a flash of blue in his mirror and that the van had failed to stop apparently for the stop sign and had hit his pup trailer full of dirt. He had almost been able to regain control but the pup swung around causing him crash through the ditch and fence and turn onto it’s side in the field. He seemed OK and by that time the police and fire department were there. I asked what they needed me to do and they one EMT responded just keep talking to him until I get up there. She then took over my place and the others started to cut the windshield away from the truck so they could get him out. I then climbed down off the backside of the cab and at that time could see where the fuel line to the diesel tank had been separated form the tank and all of the diesel was spilling out onto the filed. One of the firemen quickly came over and began to spray it down with foam to prevent any fire from starting. It wasn’t long before I came to a realization of what might have happened but then I also realized that I had someone watching over the driver and I as well and was very appreciative of that.  I will always remember though the fact that are so many who will stand to the side and just watch. I hope to never be found doing that if there is any way that I can help. I have always also been very glad that the Lord brought me to the accident from that side since the fellow on the other side was killed in the accident and I would have had a struggle with having to have been there.