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Winds Sweep Truck Off Minnesota Highway, Seatbelt Saves Driver

According to Keloland TV, Sioux Falls, S.D., trucking veteran John Deneui was driving from Minneapolis to Sioux Falls earlier this month when a violent storm rolled across the prairie

by Staff
June 18, 2005
1 min to read


According to Keloland TV, Sioux Falls, S.D., trucking veteran John Deneui was driving from Minneapolis to Sioux Falls earlier this month when a violent storm rolled across the prairie.

Deneui was between Mankato and Lake Crystal, Minn., when winds picked up his truck and slammed it to the ground 75 feet away. Deneui was knocked unconscious and did not revive until two days later.
"I'm sure the seatbelt saved him from breaking his neck. Things could have been worse, way worse," said Charlie Halli. Halli, who drives for the same company, was behind Deneui at the time.
"It pushed him sideways about as fast as we were going forward," said Halli. "The only way I can describe it like the percussion from an explosion like they show on TV where they have an explosion and the wave goes across and destroys things."
The winds that destroyed Deneui's truck caused Halli's to jackknife.

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