TowZone

UPDATED:

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 21-year-old woman was arrested and charged with DWI after a deadly crash on the West Loop near Westheimer in the Galleria area, one of the busiest interchanges in the city, early Thursday morning.

Authorities on Friday identified Arllette Anahi Reyes as the driver.

The video above is from ABC13's initial reporting on the crash.

Houston Transtar first reported the wreck at about 1:30 a.m. All lanes on the West Loop southbound near Westheimer in the Galleria area were shut down until about 5:45 a.m.

According to the latest facts from police, officers were first called to a traffic hazard and saw a silver Lexus RX300 stopped in a moving lane of traffic.

Two wreckers with their emergency lights on were parked behind the SUV, and while trying to remove Reyes and her vehicle, they were hit by another driver in a black Jeep Cherokee.

Authorities said the Jeep driver hit one truck, causing the wrecker to hit the other tow truck in front of it.

After the crash, officers and the tow truck drivers performed CPR on the 49-year-old Jeep driver.

He died at the scene. His identity has not been released.

No one else was injured.

Reyes was detained and showed signs of intoxication, police said.

The investigation is ongoing.

RESOURCE LINK with News Video

The difference would be when one unit is blocking for another unit hooking up on the side of the road. Specifically when that second unit is into the live lane, which would constitute blocking. In the incident described above the Lexus was disabled in the roadway and the units were attempting to move it. In the situation it would be impossible not to block traffic otherwise the vehicle being removed would be struck. Some have said they would have the driver of the disabled vehicle move away from it and wait for a marked police unit. That also opens the tow unit up to liability. There just is not anyway around it as an attorney will go after everyone involved. That is even when every precaution is being taken and there is a SDMO Law in the state.

Memorial marker to honor Orlando tow truck operator killed last year

Highway memorial marker unveiled in honor of 24-year-old Austin Gayne

ORLANDO, Fla. – The push to have a highway memorial marker in honor of 24-year-old Austin Gayne finally happened after the measure passed the state legislature earlier this year.

During an event hosted by the Orlando Fire Department, Gayne’s mother, Brooke Lawrence, revealed the marker that will be placed near the exit off of the 408 that leads to Rosalind Avenue.

“We didn’t give up. She didn’t give up. She was right there fighting, saying, ‘We need to get this done,” said Bob Cortes, Seminole County’s senior public affairs administrator. Cortes worked with the family to help them honor their son with a memorial marker.

“This is something that his children, when they start driving, they’ll be able to see,” Lawrence said. “It’s just about keeping his memory alive.”

Gayne was a tow truck operator for Johnson Wrecker. On Feb. 1, 2021, Gayne was called to assist at the scene of a crash on State Road 408 in Orlando, where he was struck and killed by a driver.

The unveiling brought together local legislators, law enforcement officials, state representatives, family members and those who worked with Gayne.

“He was a great guy, the kind of guy that a dad’s proud of, a mom is proud of, and us at Johnson’s, we were proud of,” Eric Lucas, a coworker of Gayne, said while holding back tears.

Speakers like Sen. Tom Wright, Rep. Anna Eskamani and Capt. Mark Castleberry of Florida Highway Patrol focused on the Slow Down Move Over Law, which requires drivers to move to the next lane or slow down when emergency or utility vehicles are on the side of the road.

“It is not only the law, but it’s the right thing to do. Our law enforcement, tow truck drivers, first responders, sanitation workers and utility service vehicles need the space and safety when responding to calls for service,” Castleberry said.

FHP reported that from January 2015 to October 2022, there have been 1,492 crashes where a driver was issued a citation for failing to move over for an emergency sanitation or utility service vehicle. Of those crashes, seven were fatal.

“So far for 2022, there have been 11,712 citations issued. The largest age group for this violation is drivers between the ages of 20-29,” Castleberry said.

In Florida, the Slow Down Move Over Law went into effect in 2002. Violating the law can result in a fine and points on a driving record.

RESOURCE LINK

Hey Mike, Thanks for the call. It appears that forum got lost in the shuffle and the permissions needed to be reset.

You can find the International Chassis Forum HERE: https://www.towforce.net/forum/106-international/

@someotherplace Richard, we do our best to add text with a video when available. Sometimes when the text is too short or too long we do not add it to the topic. But, I do agree that having both available is a value.

From Red Beards Towing - Muskogee, OK John Mills truck will be lit up for 72hrs in honor of him. We are thankful for the support the tow community has shown us. Please continue to pray for John’s wife and baby boy. All his family, friends, and loved ones as well.

With the number attacks on Tow Truck Operators, Road Rescue Personnel, First Responders by individuals on the side of the road. Sometimes the danger is from the motorist we show up to assist. Are there specific precautions you are taking to prevent harm? Are you trained to defused a situation before it escalates? These are questions you must ask yourself, as I have found that around this time of year the stress level of motorists is higher then normal. You also do not know what state of mind that customer is in when you arrive. Are you prepared or will you escalate an already tense encounter?

We're into the Holiday Season which seems to be one of the most dangerous times of the year for Tow Operators working on the interstates, expressways, highways or any roadway for that matter. With that in mind we will be revisiting some past topics throughout the month.

Revisiting a Past Topic!

They had already left the Tow411 Sponsorship Program at that point. Though I would have removed the Endorsed Network Vendor status after the way the company handled the situation. Even after knowing there was an issue with the boxes they continued to sell them. This compounded to the problem and created numerous social media posts which have likely taken a toll on the tool box sales. I don't have any favorites at this time and time at the Baltimore show did not permit me to conduct an experiment. I had planned on having TowTruckWags stand on one of their box door. That seems to be a true test. Perhaps we will get him to a show in the near future.

Baltimore 2022 is in the rear-view mirror and regardless of the talk of high crime in the area. The Inner Harbor seemed unchanged from years past, and many attendees still easily got around to the events. The size of the attendance did seem down a bit, which was likely due to the unexpected weather in the Northwest which caused many delays and the cancellation of flights.

At this time we are continuing work on plans for the 2023 Baltimore Meet & Greet.

This event will be Thursday Evening which should be November 16th, 8pm to 11pm.

Did you attend the Baltimore Tow Expo in 2022 and will you likely make the Expo in 2023?

Do you have interest in stopping by a Meet & Greet conducted by TowForce and some of our Sponsors?

At this time there are already two Sponsors that have offered support and two that expressed interest.

As this will be a discussion that spans the entire year leading up to Baltimore 2023 I ask that members join in this discussion as it will likely affect other future Meet & Greets. These were always great for catching up with members missed on the show floor. Yes, I did miss far too many this year and in Vegas this May. We should have held the gathering regardless of the number in the Roll Call as many more were in attendance at the show. Maybe a Breakfast Next time, but most towers that I knew were in the classes at the time.

What are your thoughts, on what other shows should be considered in 2023 and then 2024? Florida and Vegas are now in the rear-view mirror. Next up is TEXAS...

John, I missed Ed as well. Should have pulled that card and put together a Meet & Greet.

I will do my best to bring this favorite gathering back to Baltimore next year. "2023"

Is the interest level high enough to move mountains to return to Meet & Greets?

Randall, his name is Chernetris McGinty however he may go by Mark indicated elsewhere.

College Station police has released more information about last weekend’s collision of a wrong way SUV and a Santa’s Wonderland shuttle bus.

The driver of the SUV who died was identified as Anthony Dewayne Johnson of Navasota.

A passenger in the SUV who was rescued by a tow truck driver, Chernetris McGinty of Navasota, was taken to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries.

The driver of the shuttle bus who was rescued by a CSPD officer, Calvin Hill of Bryan, is in serious condition at a Houston hospital.

The investigation continues as to how the SUV left the southbound frontage road, crossed the southbound lanes of the freeway, went through the median, and struck the northbound bus.

Two passengers in the bus were checked at the scene and released.

RESOURCE LINK

Videos can be uploaded to YouTube and then shared in the topic. If that helps.

Office & Impound for Dispatching Tow Trucks

Towing Technology for types GPS Units.

Tow truck crash proves fatal, Joplin Police Major Crash Team investigate

Sgt Jared Delzell confirms one fatality in the single vehicle crash

JOPLIN, Mo. — About 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 15, 2022 reports of a crash along I-44 near the Rangeline exit alerted Joplin E-911.

Joplin Fire Dept, Joplin Police, METS and Newton County Ambulance responded.

On the scene we learn it was a single vehicle rollover crash. The vehicle was a commercial tow truck.

Sgt Jared Delzell of the Joplin Police Major Crash Team tells KOAM’s Shannon Becker they marked the crash scene for investigation.

One person, the tow truck operator, died in the crash. Although next-of-kin are notified more details will be released Wednesday Sgt Delzell says.

Delays in the westbound lanes approaching Rangeline at 9MM, backed up traffic about  three miles.

M&M Wrecker removed the crash from the scene.

MoDOT Emergency Response and Missouri State Highway Patrol assisted with traffic.

This is a breaking news story. Watch for updates here on our news tab.

RESOURCE LINK

Brendan, we will give this manufacturer exposure within our media coverage at the Expo. Issac is a good man to work with, it just has not worked out with the marketing. So, if they are down with it we will put something of value together at the booth and go live with it. If not catch them and all the other exhibitors on one of our walk arounds. Watch for the notification and the upload to be posted. Should you be attending the events, I encourage you to add a reply in the Roll Call. 

Thanks for participating, Fallsway has maintained positive responses on Tow411 and now TowForce for nearly the 20 plus year history with involvement in the early years. Even being one of the first ENV's or Endorsed Network Vendors. I will need to look back in the archives for the testimonials which lead to the endorsement. Again, hope to meet up with you at the Expo.

@Brendan M. Kilkenny @EdsTowing

Ed, what is that car in the back on the last image. Looks sorta like some Bad Chad would have around.

Please STOP referencing 1 Tow Operator is Killed every 6 days. This number just is not factual and actually does harm to the movement when actually researched. To date in 2022 including Road Service Techs to numbers are 1 Tow Operator/Tech is Killed every 18 days.

To date Total First Responders including Tow Ops/Techs is at 40.

As of today 11/5/22 that breaks down to 1 every 7.6 days.

So as unpopular as this topic will be let's get it right....

We can say 1 First Responder including Police, Fire/EMS, Tow Truck Operators are Killed every 7 days.

Driver Cited After Striking Tow Truck Driver in Manchester

Video News Story Link: https://www.wfsb.com/2022/10/30/tow-truck-driver-struck-i-295-manchester/

A Vernon woman was issued a citation after State Police say she hit a tow truck driver with her car Friday morning.

This all unfolded around 9:45 on I-291 westbound in Manchester.

The tow truck driver, a Manchester man, was walking in the right lane with his reflective gear on when he was hit.

He reported complaining of back pain and was subsequently taken to Hartford Hospital for further treatment.

The driver of the car was not injured and was cited for failing to move over for emergency vehicles, more commonly known as the 'Slow Down, Move Over' law.

State Police are encouraging the public to be extra cautious when approaching emergency vehicles, including tow trucks and Department of Transportation vehicles.

Resource Link