Lance grumbled at the following article in this morning’s newspaper.  It's not so much that they mentioned Miller's but the way the article is composed it makes it seem like Elden's is only a tow company and not an auto collision repair shop as well.


Herald Journal February 24, 2012

So you drive off the road into the Logan River. Once you’re safely back on land, what about your car?

With all the vehicles taking the plunge lately at milepost 473, this is a question we suspect a lot of readers might have had, so we called a local towing company and auto-body repair shop to find out more.

Getting the car out of the river can range from a very easy job to a complex operation, according to Elden Dattage of Dattage Towing in Logan, who has pulled dozens of vehicles, including semi trailer rigs, out of rivers in the region. Because of the many variables, Dattage wouldn’t venture a price estimate for the job. “Every situation is so different,” he said.

And what about water damage to the car? That, too, can vary widely depending on how much of the vehicle becomes submerged.

“The biggest problem is water getting into the electronics,” said Jeff Miller of Miller Auto Body. “If the car is filled with water up to the dashboard level, in most cases it’s going to be totaled. It’s like throwing your cellphone in the toilet.”

Like Dattage, Miller has handled a lot of submerged vehicles over the years, including the Honda Accord righted by passing motorists in a dramatic rescue at milepost 473 on New Year’s Eve. That car took in a lot of water and was declared totaled by the driver’s insurance company.

No word whether Miller’s or Dattage’s employees have ever found a fish in any of these vehicles.

http://news.hjnews.com/content/tncms/live/

Another car falls into Logan River at notorious canyon location

updated: 17 hours ago By Amy Macavinta

A new warning sign and statewide publicity about a dangerous curve in Logan Canyon has apparently not slowed drivers, as another car had to be pulled out of Logan River on Tuesday afternoon near mile marker 473 on U.S. Highway 89. Neither of the two individuals in the vehicle were injured in the crash.

According to the Utah Highway Patrol, the driver of a blue Saturn was northbound on the Logan Canyon road at about 12:30 p.m. The driver entered the curve at mile post 473.5 and exited the road to the right onto the right shoulder.

Logan resident Colleen Larkin, 20, overcorrected to the left into oncoming traffic, then tried to steer back to the right and exited the road. The car left the road, sliding down toward the river, coming to rest with the front of the car in the water, according to UHP.

Larkin and her passenger, Alex Bernkopf, 20, also of Logan, were both wearing seatbelts.

Larkin was cited for driving too fast for existing conditions.

The UHP said this has been a hazardous curve for years. However, it first gained UDOT's attention after three children - two who had stopped breathing - were pulled from inside a car in the freezing river in a dramatic rescue on New Year's Eve.

Three weeks later, another truck left the roadway and in a matter of seconds landed in the river.

UDOT has confirmed plans to increase safety on this curve, but there is no specific plan or time frame involved.

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amacavinta@hjnews.com

Twitter: @amacavinta

       Highway 165 crash brings hazmat teams, closes roads temporarily

Dump truck crashes into Logan hotel after losing brakes

By Emilie H. Wheeler and Amy Macavinta | Posted: Saturday, November 12, 2011 1:45 am
Witnesses watched in shock as a dump truck came hurtling down 400 North, swerving through the Phillips 66 parking lot before crossing Main Street, heading through the 7-Eleven parking lot and crashing into the Quality Inn just after 2 p.m. Friday.
The driver of the truck, a 40-year-old Marcie L. Pentz of Morgan, had apparently lost control of the vehicle's brakes sometime while driving west on U.S. Highway 89 after leaving a work site up Logan Canyon. She managed to avoid hitting any vehicles on her way down the hill, something those who saw the incident called "unbelievable."
Todd Olson of North Logan was running errands and had stopped at the 400 North/Main Street intersection when the truck - horn blasting - came through.
"I saw her bouncing through Mooch's (now known as Nyla's), on the south side ... she missed the pumps, the tree, the other pumps (at 7-Eleven)," he said. "She did a fantastic job at mitigating any damage. As bad as it was, I am sure it could have been a lot worse."
After missing the pumps and actual 7-Eleven building, the dump truck hit the back side of the Quality Inn head-on.
Jason Kendall, an off-duty Logan police officer, was at 7-Eleven getting a drink when the truck hit the hotel.
"She was doing everything she could to avoid a collision, and she missed everyone," he said.
Officers who arrived first on the scene said Pentz was alert and conscious but complaining of chest pain. She was extricated from the cab and taken by ambulance to Logan Regional Hospital. On Friday night, a spokeswoman from the hospital said Pentz was in good condition and expected to be released that night.
The owner of the truck, which is a Wardell Brothers Construction vehicle out of Morgan, was traveling behind Pentz down the highway. At the scene of the crash, he was distraught and didn't provide his name, but did tell those around he realized there was a problem sometime before the crash.
"I guess she got her brakes hot," he said. Pointing east, he added, "She started clear up there in trouble."
The man said the two had been working on a job near the road to Beaver Mountain.
Logan Assistant Police Chief Jeff Curtis said it was incredibly lucky nothing else went wrong.
"It's a small miracle that on a Friday afternoon with some of our heaviest traffic she was able to get all the way across Main Street avoiding any collision with any vehicles," he said.
Police aren't sure exactly what happened, but say those at the scene said they could smell burning brakes. Logan officers have contacted the Utah Highway Patrol truck inspection trooper, who will evaluate the truck and circumstances. Curtis said results from that investigation will be available next week.
It's also unclear exactly when Pentz became aware of a problem.
"As she was approaching Main Street, she knew that she was in trouble and started to blast her horn in an effort to clear traffic," Curtis said. "We don't know exactly what color the light was, but it appears it could have been red for the east/west traffic. She knew she wasn't going to get the traffic cleared in front of her, so she swerved in front of Phillips 66 (Nyla's) and was able to go between one of the trees and the fire hydrant without hitting anything."
After crossing Main successfully, the truck entered the 7-Eleven lot. Curtis said a small Volkswagon was pulling out of a parking spot, but its driver saw her coming and kept driving in reverse to avoid the oncoming truck. After missing that car and the gas pumps, the dump truck hit the hotel.
Curtis said the dump truck did not actually penetrate any hotel rooms. There's some damage to the building, where the truck hit in the main part of the stairwell entrance that went into the structure's basement. Exterior bricks also sustained damage, he said.
Another witness, Robert Horning of Logan, was on the east side of the intersection waiting behind four or five cars. He said the Pentz's actions to veer off the road saved his and his two daughters' lives.
"I saw the truck literally in my rearview mirror ... coming like a bat out of hell," he said. "The truck swerved off the right, bounced over the curb ... I feel like she saved my life."
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ewheeler@hjnews.com and amacavinta@hjnews.com

Congratulation's to the Elden Dattage Towing and Autobody Softball Team.  They clinched the championship last night with a spectacular comeback from a 22 run deficit in the first inning.