Brian Campbell’s daughter is still grieving the loss of the man she called the glue that held the family together.

"Now that he's not here, it's really hard," Alex Fay said.

Authorities report Campbell, 57, of Salem, was killed after a speeding pickup headed the wrong way on Interstate 5 struck his semitruck the night of Nov. 21 near Lexington. He died two days later.

Daren Dean Bowlby, the driver of the pickup, is charged with the felony of vehicular homicide while being under the influence of intoxicants. 

The prosecution may seek a sentence beyond the standard range for Bowlby, 58, of Castle Rock, because they say he was driving opposite the flow of traffic where posted speeds were 45 mph or greater, court records show.

Bowlby owns First Choice Medical Center at 1157 Third Ave. near Waste Control in Longview. He did not respond to a comment about the case before deadline.

His Cowlitz County Superior Court trial is set to be scheduled on Monday.

A deep loss

Campbell was a single dad to three daughters, who considered driving a semitruck a dream job, said his brother, Ken Campbell, of Salem.

He was “an absolute mechanical genius," who was only driving the semi for a few years, his brother added. He was headed to Albany the night of the accident. 

Crystal Campbell still recalls her father's voice encouraging her as she played softball growing up.

"He wanted what was the best for me," said the 21-year-old of Salem.

Fay, 31, also of Salem, sees no signs of her mourning ending.

"Every day (brings) new challenges," she said. "It just seems like this is gonna go on for a long time." 

The family declined to say whether they plan to hire an attorney for a civil suit.

Empathy during turmoil

Ashten Wagoner, 27, of Silver Lake, said she spoke to both Campbell and Bowlby after the crash and is listed in court records as a state witness.

Wagoner said she crawled into what remained of Brian Campbell's semitruck cabin to keep him company while they waited for first responders to arrive.

“Brian was concerned about the other driver," she said. "(He) told me that there was nothing he could do, that the truck was coming at him head on."

Ken Campbell said he wasn't surprised to hear of his brother's empathy.

"That encompasses who my brother was," he said.

The family has created a GoFundMe page aiming to raise $7,500 for the funeral; as of now, about 74% of the goal has been reached.

Brian Campbell suffered multiple fractures to his legs and arms, and once freed of the wreck he went into cardiac arrest. According, to the Washington State Patrol press memo, he was transported to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center but was later sent to Vancouver.

Leaving the country club

Bowlby was leaving Longview Country Club, located at 41 Country Club Dr., the night of the accident, Washington State Patrol spokesperson Trooper Will Finn said. 

Representatives from the country club did not respond to The Daily News by deadline.

Finn said Bowlby reached the highway by driving onto the exit ramp on Lexington Bridge Drive in Kelso. The crash is still under investigation, he added.

After the accident, Wagoner said Bowlby kept asking her what happened over and over again, and needed help walking.

"When I opened his truck door the smell of alcohol hit me like a wall," she said. "His eyes were red and glossy, his breath smelled like alcohol."

A state trooper also reported noticing Bowlby’s bloodshot eyes, flushed skin and slurred speech when he asked the official what had happened.

Bowlby asked for help and held onto the trooper to walk toward the trooper’s vehicle, the police report states.

The trooper also reported smelling intoxicants on Bowlby, but couldn’t perform a breathalyzer test because the trooper’s device had malfunctioned, according to the report.

To help Brian Campbell's family cover expenses since his death, visit www.gofundme.com/f/aid-the-campbell-family-in-their-time-of-need.