TowZone

Woodford man convicted in death of tow-truck driver in Fredericksburg A man who struck and killed a tow-truck driver on the Interstate 95 entrance ramp in Fredericksburg last year was convicted Tuesday of DUI-manslaughter. Christopher R. Minor, 29, of Woodford convicted by Judge Gordon Willis following a trial in Fredericksburg Circuit Court. Minor, who was acquitted of a drug possession charge, will be sentenced Sept. 9. According to the evidence presented by prosecutor Wenonah Petersen, 29-year-old Louis J. Rich was outside his tow truck about 12:35 p.m. June 11 on the ramp leading from eastbound State Route 3 to southbound I–95. It is not clear why Rich was stopped on the ramp. Virginia State Police troopers testified that Minor’s 2020 Chevrolet Impala crossed the white fog line and struck Rich before striking his 2006 International tow truck. Rich was taken to Mary Washington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Trooper A. Lubbers testified Tuesday that Minor told him he’d taken Percocet, but said he didn’t notice any signs of intoxication at the scene. But Petersen put on evidence that Minor had several controlled substances in his system when his blood was drawn several hours after the crash. Defense attorney Anna Lindemann argued that Minor was not intoxicated at the time of the crash and said the amounts of drugs in his system were minimal and that he passed field sobriety tests. She said Minor didn’t see Rich and that Rich’s death was simply a tragic accident. The felony Minor was convicted of carries a penalty of between one to 10 years in prison. Minor has been in the Rappahannock Regional Jail since November. RESOURCE LINK

We will wrap this Semi-Annual Roll Call up on July 5th and hold our first drawing on or about July 7th. If I say July 6th which is a Tuesday I will miss it, saying the 7th it'll get done on time. LOL So, add a reply ASAP. I expect to add more prizes this year. Thinks are opening up once again, most all towing companies are busy and hopefully everyone is making money once again. TowForce is still struggling for funding, but the content is here and with every members assistance this will be the center of social media for the Towing & Recovery Industry once again. And since there doesn't seem to be a true center, I'm calling it Center Now for Towing Information. If you're reading this and you're not a member, I encourage you to join our Network TODAY! May the ToForce be with you!

Tow truck driver shot, killed at Hillsboro apartment complex UPDATED: 06.17.21 - 8:00PM Continue checking this TowForce Topic as the Reports are being added as they come in!

Parents of crash victim frustrated with case

To think this video Dave produced was 6 1/2 years ago. What has changed? Check this Topic: Re: Remembering Dave Lambert 1948-2017

UPDATED thru 06.15.21 I stated 3 years ago that it was going to time time to bring this message board back to the height of Tow411. It has not only taken time, it has taken financial resources. You will see we have several supporters recognized. You may not realize your continued support makes it possible to get back on track and return the funds used up. Not A Supporter, Click Here for Levels starting at $12.95/yr. https://www.towforce.net/subscriptions/ Thank You.

A convoy of about 20 tow truck industry vehicles hit the streets of Sydney on Tuesday afternoon in what they call a rally of unity against a proposed Cape Breton Regional Municipality bylaw that contains many changes they don’t like. - David Jala SYDNEY, N.S. — A convoy of about 20 tow truck industry vehicles hit the streets of Sydney on Tuesday afternoon in what they call a rally of unity against a proposed Cape Breton Regional Municipality bylaw that contains many changes they don’t like. The noontime drive that started at the Mayflower Mall and headed to downtown Sydney before driving twice by City Hall featured representatives from a number of rival companies from across the municipality. The first reading of the proposed bylaw amendment was to have been read at city Council meeting tonight Tuesday in Sydney but sources say it has now been taken off the agenda. RESOURCE LINK

Now, what Western State are you located in and How Hot Is It?

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday June 12th at 11:00 a.m. at The Depot X in Fairfield, Texas Final Ride: If you would like to participate in the procession, it will leave the Texas Towing Yard at 10:00 a.m. located at: 520 W Tyler Street, Mexia, Texas and end at The Depot X located at 140 East Hwy 84 West Fairfield, Texas. Isaac was born January 31, 1986, in Temple, Texas to David and Holly Simmons. He passed May 30,2021 surrounded by family and friends in Waco, Texas. Isaac grew up in Buffalo, Texas. He moved to Fairfield Texas his senior year. After high school, he worked various jobs but found his calling working with Texas Towing Service for the last 5 years. He was devoted to his job as a tow truck operator where he enjoyed serving the citizens of Freestone County and surrounding areas. His greatest pride was working with his Texas Towing family and all emergency services where he made so many friends. His interests included watching all genre of movies, playing video games where he had a tight knit community of gamer friends, traveling to see his family and enjoying snacks from his favorite place to shop, Bucc-ees. He loved to spend time with his family and friends and making them laugh. Isaac is survived by his father David Simmons of Fairfield, Texas, sister Kris Simmons of Livingston, Texas, and many close family and friends. He was preceded in death by his mother, Holly Simmons, Grandfather Bud Simmons and Grandmother Kathleen Simmons, Grandfather Paul Matthews and Grandmother Barbara Coon. In lieu of flowers please make donations to The Salvation Army. RESOURCE LINK Final Ride Planned This Saturday for Fairfield Tow Truck Operator Isaac Simmons A major accident took one of our own first responders last month. Approximately 4:39 p.m. on Friday, May 28, 2021, Texas DPS Troppers responded to a three-vehicle accident on Interstate 45 that also involved a tow truck operator. According to the report, 35-year-old David Isaac Simmons of Fairfield was attempting to pull a vehicle in the center median. Emergency lights were activated on his truck from Texas Towing Service. A 2020 Toyota Corolla, driven by a 22-year-old woman from Houston, was traveling on the inside lane and attempted to move to the outside lane. According to DPS report, the driver attempted the lane change when it was unsafe to do so. The report further reads that the Corolla collided with a 2014 Volvo sedan, driven by a 33-year-old woman from Dallas. Following the collision with the Volvo, the Toyota crossed back into the inside lane. According to DPS, the vehicle drove up the extended rollback and became airborne. The report reads that the Toyota crashed into Simmons as he was using the control box on the driver’s side. Simmons was transported to Hillcrest Medical Center in Waco, where he later succumbed to his injuries. A Celebration of Life is being held this Saturday, June 12th at 11:00 a.m. at The Depot X in Fairfield, Texas Fellow tow truck operators will participate in a Final Ride. The procession will leave the Texas Towing Yard in Mexia at 10:00 a.m. and end at The Depot X in Fairfield, Texas. RESOURCE LINK

Cameras are everywhere, these types are out there. This was a Professional Tower right there, he didn't get involved and there must have been a reason the guy with the camera didn't attempt to involve him. Maybe will find out someday, I know I would be interested.

Does your company currently have such signage to warn those of the hazard from entering the work zone? It seems that more and more individuals are entering the area a vehicle recovery is taking place. Often they are seen and told to move back. However, if the operator is not in their line of vision or focused on the recovery they may not notice how close this person it to the scene. Myself, I was always able to advise persons at the scene to stand back. Lately, they seem to want to enter the vehicle before I have given permission. It may be their vehicle, but it's mine during the recovery until I say its is clear. If it continues then signage may be the next step to avoid injury and legal action. Then again, I now have them on Body Cam so legal action would be difficult as I generally advise them more than once. I tried to find a Work Zone Sign for Towing or Tow Truck. No Luck So Far!

As I have said there are cameras everywhere. That was a Stop Sign!

"I will get someone to safety each and every time if I can accommodate them" @Stubborn66 those are the key words "Get Them To Safety" that is when they cannot secure their own transportation. Luckily in today's world I hear that many do arrange for their own transportation. Many companies plan to continue asking them to have transportation and will make exceptions when the customer does not have an alternative. I believe this is a solid business plan and very professional. Taking a rider(s) is a courtesy and should have never been a standard practice or a continued practice. Take advantage of the change and make it part of your business plan, rather then going back to business as usual. But, again I agree with the "Get Them To Safety" part of providing the service which is treat others as you would what your family to be treated. Just as carrying Ice Cold Bottles of Water in the very HOT month is a nice touch. They do not cost that much and often result in a nice tip.

@Stubborn66 I bet the engine would still be running today had the body not failed. I saw plenty of them with water in the oil and oil dripping out the tale pipes. Will all that and running a little hot they sounded as they did when they were new. Had one of the AMC inline siz in a Jeep with all those issues. Sold it that way and the guy just kept driving it, should have keep it as it was my last CJ-7.

SkateBoarding Helmets are tough and the prices vary depending on the manufacturer and the rating. Any Quality Industrial style helmet is going to be priced out of a tow operators budget even though they may prevent a serious head injury. I have review them for several years and have yet taken the leap to try one. I will say along the lines of skateboarding I found years ago the Snow Boarding pants were far better than the Winter Work Wear. I've had a pair of Burtons for nearly a Decade and they still look new except for the cuff part that tends to drag the ground.

I just now realized the interior had maybe three trim levels. Basic Vinyl, Upgraded Vinyl (close to a Naugahyde Fabric) and a Weave Type Cloth Fabric. All were horrid in my opinion, but basic cost control in the build several manufacturers used at the time.

Wow, a surviving Log Wagon... Those things road like a Log Wagon and the fact the seats were sparse on cushion compounded the beating you took. I'm guessing the barn find does not have factory air conditioning as a large number of them didn't back in the day. Dad drove an AMC Concord Company Car for years, parked it on the street out front at night. The AMC's might have been the only vehicles that were not hit or stolen. I moved a pristine AMC Matador last year, large custom wheels and a broken lower ball joint. everyone wanted the lady to sign a damage waiver. If you're skilled then you don't need a damage waiver, never had a issue with it.

@Stuart Wagner actually I believe we can talk price in regards to additional services offered. This would include support vehicles and equipment as well as various other equipment. The total cost of the services rendered and an agreement on those costs is what should be avoided. Storage Rates are open for discourage as are regulated rate, unregulated rates are those that can be called into question. Perhaps @Michael McGovern will be along to fill us in on any changes that may have occurred over the years in regards to "Collusion". I know several years ago the agency that dealt with these investigations lost funding. I have not researched that in quite some time and my contact is probably retired by now.

With summer travel here, more drivers and vacationers are back on the #PATurnpike. At the same time, our crews have their attention on road repair after a harsh winter. Unfortunately, motorists are NOT keeping their attention on the road. Traffic deaths across the country are at their highest in 14 years and our roadway has experienced more attenuator hits than ever before. Stay alert for the sake our crews and yourself by: • Following posted speed limits in work zones • Keeping your eyes up • Putting your phone down • Slowing down and moving over for stopped maintenance & emergency vehicles. Only a few seconds of distraction can result in potentially life-threatening danger for both you and our employees.

Moving over on an N.J road could save a first responder’s life. These pink signs will remind you. Donna Setaro, center, mother of State Trooper Marc Castellano, who was struck and killed by a car in 2010, places a Move Over law sticker on a DOT truck Friday. Joining her at an awareness event was, left, Eric Heitmann, division of highway traffic safety director, Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, transportation commissioner and State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan. By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Jersey drivers who hit the highways this summer will see big pink signs and posters in Quick Chek stores to remind them to move over one lane or slow down when they see first responders or road crews. They’re the type of reminders that could have spared NJDOT worker Andrew Richards from being injured earlier this year. Richards, 58 of Willingboro, was trapped in the cab of his Emergency Service Patrol truck when he and State Police stopped for a crash on I-295 south in Lawrence Township earlier this year. The driver of the vehicle that hit his truck lost control after hitting debris in the road, colliding with the patrol truck on the left shoulder and crushing the cab, Richards said. He returned to the job after suffering neck and back injuries. “Had they moved over, it would have been a different story,” he said at a Friday event to launch an awareness campaign for the state’s Move Over Law at the Richard Stockton Service area on the New Jersey Turnpike. That 2009 law requires a driver to either move over one lane or slow down when approaching a crash scene, a disabled vehicle or construction area. Bright pink portable highway signs, telling drivers to move over, and smaller stickers of the same design will be seen on roadsides and on NJDOT and other first responder vehicles this summer as reminders. The goal is that every first responder, road worker, and tow truck driver “goes home at night” after their shift, said Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, state transportation commissioner. Andrew Richards of Willingboro, a state DOT Emergency Services Patrol worker who was injured warning traffic of a crash on I-295, gets a hug from Donna Setaro, mother of a state trooper killed by a driver 11 years ago at an event to raise awareness of the state Move Over law to protect first responders. Move Over law posters will be displayed in 72 Quick Chek stores and 67 gas stations, she said. In 2021, 22 first responders or highway workers have been killed across the country, she said. State Police, Department of Transportation and State Highway Safety Division officials joined with Donna Setaro, the mother of State Trooper Marc Castellano, who was struck and killed by a car in June 2010 while he was working on the side of I-195. In 11 years she has conducted hundreds of presentations to 140,000 people to raise awareness of the law. “I hope the (move over law) stickers will become a familiar brand, so when people see it, they know what it means,” Setaro said. “It would be nice if it (moving over or slowing down) became an involuntary reflex.” Most first responders have had a close call, including New Jersey’s top cop, State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan, who recalled the only warning he had was the sound of tires on the rumble strip between the shoulder and the travel lane. “I remember having to dive on the hood of my troop car because of a distracted driver,” he said. “The campaign is to remind people to slow down in the most densely populated state in the nation, it saves lives.” All the speakers touched on the death of Trooper Castellano as an example of what’s at stake. He was hit by a vehicle traveling at 70 mph and his body thrown hundreds of feet by the impact, Setaro said. “I think about his last moments…I remember at the hospital, they said nothing more could be done and the nurse taping his eyes shut,” she said. “I’m continuing to do what he’d want me to do.” The Move Over law was modified in 2019, to stiffen penalties and assess two motor vehicle points for repeat offenders convicted of a violation three or more times in 12 months, said Eric Heitmann, state division of highway traffic safety director. “If you see flashing lights (on the side of the road), I urge you to do what’s right, slow down and move over,” he said. But Setaro said it’s not about the tickets or fines. Sunday will be the eleventh anniversary of the crash that claimed her son’s life. “I went to the cemetery (this week.) It feels like yesterday,” she said. RESOURCE LINK

The Wyoming Department of Transportation needed some big help a couple of weeks ago when a heavy piece of equipment sank into the mud in the rain-soaked prairie. Big Al's Towing had their new boom truck for less than a week when they got the call. A boom truck takes the place of two or three tow trucks working an accident scene. Because it can lift straight up instead of dragging a vehicle along the ground, it causes less damage to vehicles and the ground underneath. It is the only one of its kind in Laramie County. The new rotator truck at Big Al’s Towing can extend 40 feet in any direction. Dave Lerner / The Cheyenne Post "About the only way we could get it out was to pick it straight up," Big Al's Towing Dave Rose said. "You couldn't grab it and start pulling it." Big Al's Towing purchased the $690,000 boom truck to help clear traffic accidents. The truck has a 40-foot boom that can extend in any direction, making it easy to pick up and move vehicles. The employees at Big Al's Towing proudly stand before their new Rotator Truck with Boom Arm. (L-R) Cory Bouchard, Krystal Foy, Kathy Johnson, Michelle Jones, Dave Rose, Dave Vossler, Dave Gordon, Zach Ault, Dwayne Martin, Bruce Bohannon. Dave Lerner / The Cheyenne Post "So if you had a car stuck over on the road or maybe even down in the ditch or ravine, you could pick the car up and actually move it over and set it on another truck, or clear over on the road or whatever," Rose said. The truck has been called to the Port of Entry on I-15. It acts as a mobile crane, and it has been used to adjust loads on trucks coming into the state. "They're only allowed so much weight on each axle," Rose added. "So we may have to pick that up and move it, or say they're over length or something, we might have to shift the whole load forward, backward, or whatever it should be." The truck is also being used on construction projects. "We can do AC units on top of houses, whatever we need to do, Big Al's Towing Business Relations Manager Michelle Jones said. "It's very versatile as to what it can pick up," Jones said another advantage of the new truck is that it can speed up clearing accidents on the highway. Tow truck drivers are at risk at accident scenes because drivers are distracted by seeing the wreckage. "The big thing in our industry is avoiding secondary accidents which happen tremendously, and that's how these drivers get hurt out there," Jones said. "People don't pay attention, or they're not paying attention to the driving, they're paying attention to this wreck over here, so the sooner we get that off the road, and get the traffic flowing, the less opportunity they have of getting in (a secondary accident)." RESOURCE LINK

Auburn man to serve 4 years for Lewiston drug-induced crash Parents give emotional testimony Friday about their daughter's injuries. Cops & Courts Posted Yesterday at 7:26 PM Updated June 4 AUBURN — Steve Gregoire told a judge Friday that he spent his birthday two years ago at a crash scene in Lewiston, watching his 19-year-old daughter being extricated from her mangled car and listening to her screaming in pain from multiple critical injuries until she lost consciousness. The crash caused a compound fracture to his daughter’s upper leg, fractured her lower leg, caused a compound fracture to her upper arm and shattered the bones in her lower arm. It left her with nearly third-degree burns on her lower leg and a deep gash in her thigh. She spent roughly a month in a hospital before a long recovery involving surgeries and painful physical therapy. “Just thinking about it makes me cry,” Alesha Gregoire, 21, said Friday at the sentencing of the man who slammed his tow truck head-on into the Subaru she was driving on Lisbon Street in Lewiston about 5:30 p.m. on Aug, 16, 2019. Dalton Farrington Androscoggin County Jail photo The truck driven by Dalton Farrington, 29, of 483 Hotel Road, Auburn, had veered into Gregoire’s lane while he was high on the opioid fentanyl, Assistant District Attorney Molly Butler Bailey told the judge Friday.Justice Thomas McKeon sentenced Farrington on Friday in Androscoggin County Superior Court to 10 years in prison, but suspended six years of that time. That means Farrington will spend four years in prison on the charge of aggravated assault. He will be on probation for three years after his release. McKeon also imposed concurrent sentences of six months and 12 months, respectively, on charges of aggravated operating under the influence of drugs and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon. Farrington was fined $2,100. He lost his license for six years. Since his arrest, Farrington attended a drug rehabilitation program after a long period of drug addiction, defense attorney Donald Hornblower said. He said his client had taken responsibility for his actions by agreeing to plead guilty to avoide putting the young woman and her family through a trial. He said Farrington continued to feel shame and guilt for the crash. Farrington, appearing from Androscoggin County Jail via videoconference, apologized to his victims. “I’m deeply sorry for my decisions and choices I made that day,” he said. Gregoire had been a student at Maine Maritime Academy at the time of the crash, but had to miss a semester due to her injuries. Since then, she has returned to school and attended the Friday court hearing via videoconference aboard a ship in Bass Harbor off the coast of Maine, she said. She said her broken bones continue to cause pain and limit her physically, preventing her from engaging in many of the actives she once enjoyed, such as scuba diving. “I feel the consequences every day from it,” she said. The emotional hearing Friday featured statements from Gregoire and her parents who fought off sobs at the memory of the crash and its aftermath. Farrington chose to take drugs and get behind the wheel that day, Steve Gregoire told the judge. The only choices given his daughter were how to react to the tow truck bearing down on her in her lane, Gregoire said: swerve right or left to try to avoid it. She turned left into the center turning lane, probably saving her life, but Farrington at that moment sought to correct his error by turning back toward his lane resulting in the head-on collision, Steve Gregoire said. Police later found syringes and fentanyl in Farrington’s backpack in the truck cab. A lab detected morphine and fentanyl in his urine. Several witnesses told police they had seen the tow truck, which was carrying another vehicle, driven by Farrington, veering fully into the wrong lane before the crash. Alesha Gregoire had been listed in critical condition and had to breathe through a tube after she was rushed to a nearby hospital. Her father, testifying Friday, told the judge that day has haunted him ever since and he can still hear clearly his daughter’s cries and screams. “That’s something that I cannot get out of my head,” he said. Resource Link

Texas Towing Posted: As some of you know Texas Towing has lost one of our drivers due to being struck by a vehicle that violated the slow down move over law. His name is Isaac Simmons. He was a great guy and a valuable asset to our team. Everyone loved him and he genuinely cared about people. He loved his job and let us know that multiple times. We will be having a memorial service for him at the Depot X in Fairfield on June 12. His last ride will be from the Texas Towing yard on Tyler Street in Mexia to the Depot X (Fairfield). We will be rolling out around 10 am.