LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Its labored hum tells its age and so does the pale blue paint slowly rusting from its top and chipping off its sides, but the F-150 pick-up Todd Gary finally gazed at Thursday was priceless to him.
"It's a 1992 Ford pick-up truck, and you can see it's been used," he said with a chuckle. "It's been used."
To Gary, the truck represents the best friend who died inside it. Last Monday, 53-year-old Craig Diebold was driving to work when he had a heart attack on the Watterson Expressway near I-64. He pulled into the emergency lane where he quickly died.
"Craig will live in my heart," Gary said. "His spirit will live with me forever."
An undated photo shows Craig Diebold, who died of a heart attack on March 28 while driving to work. (Provided by Todd Gary)
"It's where he took his last breath," Gary said solemnly.
But then, there was a problem. The Louisville Metro Police Department towed the truck to it's impound lot on Frankfort Avenue. Diebold's widow tried to get the truck back, but Gary said she was told she couldn't without a court order, because her name wasn't on the title. Additionally, both felt they were being rudely blown off by LMPD.
The LMPD Impoundment Unit on Frankfort Ave. in Louisville. (WDRB Photo)
I guess I don't understand why there's no compassion here," a hopeless Gary said in a WDRB News interview last week.
Meanwhile, Bart McMahon, an attorney for the widow, sent a pair of letters to LMPD Chief Steve Conrad and Mayor Greg Fischer.
"There was that red tape that hit last week, and it was really disturbing, and it hurt the family," McMahon said.
Then, suddenly, things changed.
An attorney for Craig Diebold's widow says LMPD was gracious and kind in the way it handled the frustrating situation involving the truck. (WDRB Photo)
"I can't say enough kind things about the way the LMPD responded," McMahon said. "By the time I got to the office on Monday, LMPD was as responsive and kind and decent as any organization could be and went to every length possible to make sure [the widow] got the truck."
McMahon said an LMPD lawyer, along with others, instructed him on what paperwork to complete to help the widow more quickly retrieve the truck. According to McMahon, LMPD waived the impound fees as well.
With the widow in the passenger seat Thursday morning, Gary slowly drove the car out of the impound lot with a bright smile on his face.
"They did the right thing by helping the widow out and giving this truck back and all his tools and belongings," he said.
Todd Gary, Craig Diebold's best friend, shows WDRB his late friend's beloved toolbox. (WDRB Photo)
The late carpenter's toolbox was still inside.
"He's got lots of tools in here," Gary said as he perused through the toolbox.
Thursday, Diebold's widow and best friend discovered a crucifix inside the 53-year-old's truck which apparently sat beside him when he died of a heart attack. (WDRB Photo)
Also in the truck was something even more precious to the widow and Gary: the likeness of another carpenter — in the form of a bronze crucifix — that sat right beside Diebold when he died.
"I'll start crying, then I'll look up and start laughing, because I'll remember the good times," Diebold's best friend said. "He was truly a special human being with a big heart."
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