In the Memory of Zach Waddle and Libby

SflSwampRat · 08-10-2008, 01:57 PM

Zach Waddle and his Fiance', libby, were walking and were struck by a 22 yr old drunk driver at 2am during their blowsion beach party '08 trip.

They leave behind an 11 month old boy. Very sad.

More information here as well

http://x-h2o.com/showthread.php?t=41725

tfergusonracing · 08-10-2008, 02:05 PM

I don't know who that is, but my best to his son, family, and friends.

seats · 08-10-2008, 02:12 PM

This is horrible. About 15 years ago, while on my way to jet skiing on a two lane road, a drunk crossed the centerline and hit a bunch of cars head on, one car landing upside down in a water filled ditch. To this day I don't know how, but me and one other guy lifted an Eagle Talon up on it's side and held it long enough for another guy crawled in and got the unconsious guy out of the car and the water (while a uniformed police officer stood up on the hill and watched because he didn't wanna get his shoes dirty, but I digress). Anyway, two people died, the drunk only a broken nose. I was the first one to the dead guy laying on the road. He died in my arms. A month later, I'm with a travel agent booking a vacation and the woman behind the desk is his wife....She's asking me all these questions about his last words, etc etc.....just horrible. I never drank a drop after that. Never. That was it. To this day.
I shouldn't have wrote all this....
Anyway, PLEASE you guys DONT drink and drive...better yet, just don't drink. It's stupid anyway.

j0816 · 08-10-2008, 02:15 PM

Terrible!.....when your not even safe walking!

Matt_E · 08-10-2008, 02:22 PM

For what it's worth, it isn't 100% confirmed that the driver was drunk. I think this allegation is based on testimony from the passenger, who himself wasn't reliable.
Emergency crews didn't pull the car with the dead driver inside out of the water until about 13 hours ago, so I doubt blood tests are in yet.
That said, I am 99% convinced he had indeed been drinking.

I stayed at the same place as Zack and was woken up by the sound of skidding tires at 2am in the morning. Half a minute later, the passenger got out and started wailing for help in the quiet of the night.
I'll never forget the sounds of that.
I got a flash light and ran down there as fast as I could.
I saw headlights and tail lights far under water, in the dark river.
He kept yelling "That's my brother, my brother is in there, save my brother!" (It turned out that his brother had been dropped of a few minutes before the accident, he was no longer in the vehicle. There was only one person left in the car, not two, as the passenger alleged)
I jumped down the embankment, into the river. I swam over to the car and dove down.
I could not see a damn thing and inhaled water. I tried a couple more times and realized I simply could not get to it. The roof of the car was about 6-7 feet down.
It was terrible to be that close and yet so far from someone dying right there, without being able to do a thing about it.

I got back out and heaved.
Once emergency crews got there, they spotted a body in the water, right at the water's edge.
I got down there again, with an EMT and got him onto a stretcher basket and strapped him in.
We lifted him up to the road, when I realized it was Zach Waddle. He was pronounced dead at 2:13 am on 8/9/08.
His girlfriend Libby was pulled from the water a short time later and also pronounced dead, after some brief resuscitation attempts.
The car (Trailblazer) was pulled out of the water by 8am, with the driver still in it.

It appears Zach and Libby were standing on the side of the road and were struck from behind and thrown into the river.

I am terribly sorry I could not help.

tfergusonracing · 08-10-2008, 02:26 PM

Matt, my best to you, as well. Scenes like that are etched in forever, never to be forgotten.

02 sxipro · 08-10-2008, 03:03 PM

Wow this is heavy stuff. Is there any type of fund and/or auction or something set up for his son?

97SEADOO · 08-10-2008, 03:14 PM

That's sad, my heart goes out to his family. This is exactly why i quit drinking, because i could have easily been the num nut killing a family. It only takes one time of getting behind the wheel and destroying lives.

mavrick816 · 08-10-2008, 04:04 PM

I am saddened, angry, disgusted, and a whole lot of other emtions I can't express right now.. as a single father, this sickens me. A wholehearted prayer goes to Zach and Libby and their familes.. and especially the baby boy....
Let's ALL of us watch out for each other...

Forrest137 · 08-10-2008, 04:42 PM

that is sad.