THE DAY DAN DIED

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SEPTEMBER 29, 2003 ~TRAGEDY STRIKES

Dan Snyder sat in the passenger seat of Dany Heatley's black ferarri. Door swung wide open. Ilya Kovalchuk Dan & Dany's team-mate stood there in the parking lot and joked around with Dany " I bet I'll beat you home." Dany replied with a "Yeah right." and Dan looked at both of them and laughed. This would be the last time Ilya and Dany would see Dan Snyder alive.

 Dany was speeding down a narrow two lane road at 80 MPH. The speed limit was 35. Dany came around a corner and swerved to miss a car backing out of a drive way. All of a sudden Dany could no longer control the ferrari, it shot across the rode and hit a brick wrought iron fence head on. The car was split in two. Dan was thrown from the car and knocked un-concious. Dany was able to open his car door get out and take two steps before collapsing.  A fire fighter found the hockey players and called 911. As he stood over Dan Snyder the fire fighter thought he was dead. Both men were rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Dany would suffer a broken jaw and torn ligaments in his knee. Dan however would suffer a major skull fraction.

Doctor's had to operate on Dan to relieve the pressure and repair his fracture, they had to get into his cell phone to get his parents' permission before operating. They got a hold of Dan's best friend who then called Dan's parents.

After surgery Dan was put into a drug induced coma to help him heal.

October 5th, 2003~DAN IS GONE

Dan had always pulled through Always. 

Sunday morning, Luann Snyder called her husband Graham and told him to pull over. She did not want any one driving when she told them the news. Dan had not made it. Compications from his injuries gave him a subsequently-acquired infection. At age 25 the young Thrashers player was dead. Doctor's had told Luann and Graham that Dan had been doing fine; they did not know what his mental state was going to be, but he was progressing along great.

In, a blink of an eye. That all changed and Dan Snyder lost the greatest battle of all. His battle for life.

Spend all your time waiting

for that second chance

for a break that would make it okay

there's always some reason

to feel not good enough

and it's hard at the end of the day

I need some distraction

oh beautiful release

memories seep from my veins

let me be empty

and weightless and maybe

I'll find some peace tonight

in the arms of the angel

fly away from here

from this dark cold hotel room

and the endlessness that you fear

you are pulled from the wreckage

of your silent reverie

you're in the arms of the angel

may you find some comfort here

so tired of the straight line

and everywhere you turn

there's vultures and thieves at your back

and the storm keeps on twisting

you keep on building the lies

that you make up for all that you lack

it don't make no difference

escaping one last time

it's easier to believe in this sweet madness oh

this glorious sadness that brings me to my knees

in the arms of an angel

fly away from here

from this dark cold hotel room

and the endlessness that you fear

you are pulled from the wreckage

of your silent reverie

you're in the arms of the angel

may you find some comfort here

you're in the arms of the angel

may you find some comfort here