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<DIV>Thanks to the Lewiston Tribune for providing us with the full story of the
latest megaload madness.</DIV>
<DIV>BL</DIV>
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<H1 style="LINE-HEIGHT: 34px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Verdana><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt"><FONT style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">Van
was no match for megaload </FONT></FONT></FONT></H1>
<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><STRONG
style="MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT face=Arial><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">By JOEL MILLS of the Tribune | Posted: Tuesday,
December 13, 2011 12:00 am </FONT></FONT></STRONG></P>
<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">MOSCOW - James Urquidez obeyed his
first instinct when he realized a megaload was coming right for his head:
duck.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">"When I realized he wasn't going to
make it, it was too late to do anything else," Urquidez said
Monday.</FONT></FONT></P>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">Last Tuesday night, Urquidez was
waiting with several other vehicles on U.S. Highway 95 just south of Moscow for
three giant Imperial Oil shipments of refining equipment to pass. One of the
megaloads, which was supposed to wait in a staging area, struck Urquidez's 1996
Chevrolet Astrovan on the upper driver's side.</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">"It exploded the side window from the
pressure," Urquidez said. "It crushed the windshield. I don't know if it would
have hit me or not, but I was able to duck out of the
way."</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline" class=encrypted-content>
<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">Urquidez said he is upset that the oil
company, the hauling company and the Idaho State Police have "minimized" his
ordeal.</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">"They said it was 'non-injury,' but
what they failed to mention is that the guy almost killed me," he said. "And my
van is destroyed. It just kind of ticked me off."</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">And while he wasn't taken to the
hospital - therefore technically classifying the accident as non-injury -
Urquidez said he suffered a contusion to his leg and is experiencing back
pain.</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">"I'm not looking to make any money,"
the Moscow cabinetmaker said. "I just want it to be made right. And I think part
of making it right is not minimizing it."</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">An insurance adjuster was supposed to
visit his home Monday, Urquidez said, but he still felt like the companies
involved were dragging their feet. He said he used the van to travel to work,
and to haul cabinets to job sites for installation.</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">The accident resulted in the
suspension of Imperial's license from the Idaho Transportation Department to
ship its modules to the Kearl oil sands extraction project in Canada. ITD
spokesman Adam Rush said the agency is awaiting an internal report from the
hauling company, Mammoet, before the license will be considered for
reinstatement.</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">ISP Capt. Lonnie Richardson said the
accident was purely the result of error on the part of the megaload driver, who
failed to stop at the staging area as planned.</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline" class=encrypted-content>
<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">"It was just a lapse of driver
judgment," Richardson said.</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">ISP cited Vladimir Purgar of Calgary,
Alberta, for inattentive driving. Purgar had driven the route several times
before, and was at the pre-trip safety briefing. And there were no changes to
previous procedures, Richardson said.</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">Purgar told investigators that the
pilot car and the ISP trooper assigned to his load left the staging area, and he
mistakenly followed.</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">Imperial Oil spokesman Pius Rolheiser
said the damage to Urquidez's vehicle is a matter for Mammoet's insurance
company to settle, but Imperial is cooperating with the investigations into the
incident and takes it "very seriously."</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">"There is a specific transportation
plan," Rolheiser said. "There are procedures and protocols, and we're working
with Mammoet to measure how those processes and protocols were
followed."</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">Mammoet did not immediately return a
phone call seeking comment.</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">The megaloads have stirred controversy
around the communities through which they pass, sparking frequent protests in
Moscow especially. But Urquidez said he is not among the naysayers, adding he
just wants the people hauling the modules to be more
careful.</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">"I'm not against the megaloads," he
said. "I'm against getting hit by a megaload."</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">---</FONT></FONT></P></DIV>
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<P
style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; LINE-HEIGHT: 16px; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><EM
style="MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"><FONT face=Arial><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt">Mills may be contacted at </FONT></FONT><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt"><A style="MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline"
href="mailto:jmills@lmtribune.com"><FONT color=#123456><FONT
style="TEXT-DECORATION: none"
face=Arial>jmills@lmtribune.com</FONT></FONT></A></FONT><FONT face=Arial><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 7.7pt"> or (208)
883-0564.</FONT></FONT></EM></P></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>