Show Father Father Of Seven Disabled By Drunk Driver river Is A Rehab Student by Ed Lile Points W West st Editor I N 4 From Fron truck tractor to crutches Frank Lane is a rehab student at Utah Tech NOTE This is a three-part three article on what a drunk driver diver has done to toan toan toan an innocent vict victim n a change from fron froman an active Life to a rehab student Laws to stop this highway mayhem will help It was a fun of July weekend at Lake Powell for the Frank Lane family That month in 1981 was hot Boating was a family affair for Lane His wife Elizabeth and their seven children were looking forward forward forward for for- ward to another weekend over the July holiday This time they would go to Flaming Gorge Lane was vas a truc trucker er for the Diehl Lumber Transportation Company He believed in following all road safety precautions and his driving record was excellent His income was above average enough to support support support sup sup- port his family and to keep up his modest home in Rose Park a northwest northwest northwest north north- west residential area of Salt Lake City Utah Family unity was also an important part of Lanes Lane's life As Asa a result he would often load his truck and camper hook up his boat and the family would head for one of the many boating areas in Utah He had planned his trucking runs so he could take advantage of the three day holiday weekends as he had over over the of July Nothing was to stand in the way of that boating boating boating boat boat- ing weekend over the a Utah holiday celebrating the arrival of the pioneers in 1847 On the twenty-third twenty of July the Lanes were read ready to go Their boat and truck were fueled and provisions provisions provi provi- were loaded in the c camper Enthusiasm abounded in the Lane household Lane always knew he w was s subject to call that is part of the trucking business On the of July 1981 it was no exception About the time the family was settling down for th the night the telephone rang It was Diehl Lumbers Lumber's dispatcher calling to advise Lane that he w was s to take a load of lumber to Grand Junction Colorado Q J and d. d q a ad d Q back f t to Salt Lake empty the next neXt morning 1 At approximately 1100 pm p.m. Lane and his year old daughter Vicki went in to pick up the loaded trailer The tractor was fueled and Lane headed south on 1 I As he approached South he noticed the air pressure start to drop and he decided to stop and check out the problem The wheeler eighteen-wheeler was pulled to the edge of the freeway and parked approximately 36 feet to the right of the fog line Emergency Emergency Emergency Emer Emer- gency flashers were turned on A quick check around the rig revealed a leak in the air hose connecting connecting connecting con con- the tractor and trailer Lane proceeded to make emergency repairs repairs repairs re re- re- re pairs in order to return to the Salt Lake yard It was at this point when the accident accident accident acci acci- dent happened A drunk driver driving a van southbound on 15 1 veered to the right striking the left side of the trailer glancing off and again hitting the unit where Lane was working The impact struck Lane on his right side and vaulted him out onto the second lane of the freeway free It was a miracle that no heavy traffic was southbound Continuing Continuing Continuing Con Con- on around the front of the truck the drunk driver went over the freeway free embankment For Lane the next four days were blank Our scene changes to the vehicle following behind the drunk drivers driver's van Lt Col Al H. H Asay aircraft maintenance officer for the Utah Air National Guard was on his way home in Sandy He had y come onto 15 1 from 1 1 I and was following the van when he no noticed ced the erratic manner the driver was vas driving Col Asay tried to look for a chance to get around the van but decided to exit off South As Col Asay was part way vay down do the ramp off-ramp the van having made the second impact swung vung around the front of the tractor and over the embankment embankment embankment em em- coming to a bumpy stop at the left side of the off Had he gone further he would have collided collided collided col col- col- col with the Asay vehicle Col Asay immediately stopped went over to check the van driver finding him shaken up incoherent but not injured and unaware of what had transpired At his point Col Asay heard Franks Frank's daughter screaming screaming from from om up on the edge of the freeway He Re went up to see what was the matter and found Lane trying trying try try- ing to get up tip and arid half crawling from the second lane of the freeway Lane was helped over t to his rig and was made as comfortable as possible with a pillow and cover from the cab of the tractor |