Concrete truck driver accused of huffing and hauling

Police say that a man who crashed a loaded concrete truck in September had been inhaling intoxicating air canisters.

Bigfork resident Mark Allen Doble, 29, was arrested last weekend and charged with criminal endangerment, a felony.

Authorities have been investigating the incident on Sept. 23, 2014, when Doble crashed a concrete truck weighing 68,000 pounds on Old Reserve Drive.

Doble was thrown through the windshield of the truck. A Montana Highway Patrol trooper who responded thought he might be dead, according to court documents.

Witnesses said that the truck accelerated and then, “for no apparent reason,” left the road and overturned.

Doble was taken to the Kalispell Regional Medical Center in serious condition. He was able to consent to a blood test, which was taken and sent to the state crime lab.

According to court documents, the blood sample contained 1,1-Difluoroethane, a refrigerant commonly used in compressed canisters used to spray computer keyboards. It’s also commonly inhaled for the purpose of “creating disorientation,” as a Flathead County Attorney’s Office document states.

Multiple cans of a common air duster were found in the truck following the crash, according to the documents. Maintenance records did not indicate that 1,1-Difluoroethane was used to operate the concrete truck.

Doble could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He is scheduled to be arraigned on June 18.

Reporter Matt Hudson may be reached at 758-4459 or by email at mhudson@dailyinterlake.com.