The wife of a truck passenger injured in a weekend accident in Norcross said a few moments of frustration behind the wheel will now impact her husband for the rest of his life.
Family friend Andy Betenbaugh was driving the pickup carrying Leo Pineda on Saturday when a dispute with another driver escalated, according to Channel 2 Action News. The truck hit an embankment and flipped twice along Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.
“I remember the truck flipping and I just remember thinking, ‘We are dead,’” Betenbaugh said.
Leo Pineda underwent a six-hour operation to fuse his head back to his spinal column, his sister-in-law Jennifer Moran said on a GoFundMe page she setup to help the family with recovery costs.
Doctors told Pineda’s wife, Michele Boone-Pineda, it’s rare for someone to survive the type of injury her husband sustained. He’ll recover, but with permanent limited mobility in his neck.
“I mean, we could have lost him,” Boone-Pineda told Channel 2.
Leo Pineda was still being treated at Gwinnett Medical Center Friday morning.
Pineda’s wife told Channel 2 she wanted to share the story so all drivers can learn from the experience.
“We just need to take deep breaths and realize our actions have consequences,” said Boone-Pineda.
It’s not clear how long Leo Pineda will be in the hospital. His wife, worried about their children and paying the bills, said her husband recently started a new job, so he doesn’t have disability insurance.
Betenbaugh told Channel 2 he regrets how the situation unfolded “more than anything in the world.
“People don’t understand at the moment of anger or aggression what can happen.”
He and the other driver were both cited for aggressive driving by Norcross police, according to Channel 2.
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