Truck careens into Quad crowd

Crushed mountain bikes lie where a Forest Service truck careened into a transition area during the Mount Taylor Quadrathlon Saturday [Photo by Helen Davis/Independent]

By Helen Davis
Cibola County Bureau

MOUNT TAYLOR — A truck went out of control at a crowded Winter Quadrathlon transition point over the weekend, destroying parked bicycles but causing no injuries.

At approximately 3 p.m. Saturday, the driver of a U.S. Forest Service truck apparently lost consciousness right after he pulled out of a parking spot and onto the road through the first transition area of the Mount Taylor Winter Quadrathlon.

The truck picked up speed as it headed directly toward groups of people changing gear for the last leg of the race.

Volunteers and racers in the path of the truck scattered out of the way, but the truck crashed into vacated benches, through as many as 25 bicycles, down a shallow ditch, up a hill and into a small utility shed where it came to rest.

Volunteer leaders took quickly rounded up volunteers and determined they were all present and uninjured.

Early reports indicated that the driver was conscious when New Mexico State Police removed him from the vehicle, aided by doctors who were on the spot. First reports said the driver might have sustained injuries, but Terry Fletcher, veteran race committee member said Sunday that the driver had no injuries beyond those that caused the accident.

State police identified the driver at the scene but could not release a name, said Sgt. Hernandez, temporary police spokesman present.

Fletcher said later that because the accident occurred during a long weekend that additional information about the driver and his condition would probably not be available until Tuesday.

State police were stationed at the top of a hill approaching the Bike/Run transition point all day for the race and able to respond as the accident occurred. Several doctors were on the scene including Dr. Arnold Valdivia of Grants and physicians among the racers. Transition point coordinator Ray Ortega said the by the time Valdivia reached the driver other doctors where attending.

The early speculation at the scene was that the driver suffered a stroke or seizure and lost control. Several witnesses indicated that the driver appeared to be twitching or suffering some kind of spasm before plowing into the crowd.

Other witnesses said the truck was close enough to a few people to brush them as they jumped out of the way. Three volunteers had to be taken down the hill because they were so frightened, said Ortega.