Jul 19, 2007 9:27 am US/Central
Truck Slams Into Wis. Motel Killing Sleeping Man
Antigo, Wis. (AP) ―
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Investigators said the truck entered the motel parking lot and hit two parked cars before crashing through the building. It then struck a garage and two vehicles at an adjacent residence before coming to a stop. (File)
A man asleep in his motel room was killed Wednesday when a truck smashed into the building, through the room and out the back. The driver, a 58-year-old Antigo, Wis. man, was being held pending formal charges.
Jesus Manuel Quirios Castillo, 26, died in the accident reported at 5:32 a.m. at the Good Nite Inn, according to the Langlade County Sheriff's Department.
"It was just a horrific scene," motel manager Robert Lindemann said.
He said the GMC Yukon rammed through the room after crashing in through a bay window.
Castillo's 24-year-old brother was in the room with him but wasn't injured, Lindemann said.
"The beds were approximately four feet apart," Lindemann said. "The Yukon went over one bed and pushed it through the back wall."
The two brothers were staying at the motel as part of a crew due to dismantle a garden center at a local home improvement store on Wednesday, he said.
Investigators said the truck entered the motel parking lot and hit two parked cars before crashing through the building. It then struck a garage and two vehicles at an adjacent residence before coming to a stop.
The driver was taken to Langlade Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries and was to be taken into custody.
His identity was withheld pending the formal charges. Lindemann said the man had stayed at the motel since May without incident.
Officials had no immediate explanation for how the accident happened.
"This is a very bizarre and sad case," said Chief Deputy Brad Henricks.
Authorities identified the victim's address only as Mexico, although Lindemann said the brothers lived in the U.S.
Lindemann said the surviving brother told a motel resident who was trying to comfort him that he and his brother hadn't seen their mother in Mexico in six years and had planned to leave Saturday to see her.
After the accident, members of the work crew called their employer and were told to go home for a few days to be with their families, he said.
He said the motel was able to continue operations after checking to make sure the other residents were OK. There were nearly 20 people staying there at the time, he said.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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