TowNews

LONDON, ONT. -- Tow truck drivers across the province are planning 'Slow Down, Move Over' awareness rallies for next week. The general manager of London’s 519 Tow, Mitchel MacDonald, says it’s an issue to which the public still isn’t paying enough attention. “I was hit in the side of the head with a mirror, luckily it was just the mirror, and it knocked me unconscious for a couple of minutes. Both drivers never stopped.” In Nov. 2019, tow truck operator Todd Burgess was killed after stopping to help a driver in a ditch south of Port Perry. His death is top of mind as MacDonald, and others, organize events taking place next Wednesday and Thursday across the province highlighting the dangers of driving a tow truck. It's an issue MacDonald says persists across North America “Every six days a tow truck driver is being hit and/or killed on the highway. So this initiative is to get people to understand that you do need to slow down and move over.” Ontario passed its 'Slow Down, Move Over' law in 2015. It includes a minimum $490 fine and three demerit points, but MacDonald says since the time it has taken effect he’s seen very little change in behaviour. He says the majority of transport truck drivers tend to follow the rules but many other drivers do not, with distracted driving actually increasing the danger. “There’s too much of the texting and taking photos or wanting that next social media picture when our lives are at stake.” MacDonald says flashing lights and reflective gear can only provide so much protection. Operators have to rely on other drivers to follow the rules, and on their own awareness and instincts. “If you hear screeching breaks and squealing tires, jump for the ditch. If not, it could be the end of your shift for the night. And not in a good way.” The rally in London in planned for Wednesday evening. It will start at the Flying J truck stop on Highbury Avenue, just south of Highway 401. It will travel north on Highbury, stopping near the Northland Mall at the corner of Huron and Highbury. That is where drivers will line the east side of Highbury with lights flashing to draw attention to their concerns. RESOURCE LINK

HOUSTON – Police are investigating a shooting that left a tow truck driver with serious injuries. Detectives say the victim was working in the area of Peekskill Lane and Telephone Road near Houston’s Hobby Airport when he was confronted by two men with a rifle. The gunmen robbed him and shot him several times. The tow truck driver got away and called police. He was taken to a hospital with gunshot injuries to his arm and chest. No arrests have been made. RESOURCE LINK with video

MISSOULA, Mont. - Tow truck drivers across the state are celebrating after the House of Representatives passed a bill that will hopefully make their crews safer as they work on the side of the road. HB 264 revises the rules for passing emergency and law enforcement vehicles, including tow trucks. If passed, people who do not slow down and move over for these vehicles could face more serious consequences, like be charged with reckless endangerment of emergency personnel. For a first offense, a person could be imprisoned for up to 90 days and fined up to $500. For a second offense, a person could be imprisoned for up to six months and fined up to $1,000. Tow truck drivers out of Hamilton and Florence shared their support for this bill. They said it's needed now more than ever after two tow truck drivers were struck and killed on I-90 in fall 2020. Timothy Ferguson is a tow truck driver for Wimp's Body Works. He shared his own close call last week when a car nearly hit him and ruined his traffic cones while he was responding to a call on Highway 93 S. He said it's like people just don't care about other people's lives. "They're too tunnel-visioned," Ferguson said. "You know, I have four kids and I'd like to go home to them every night and these people just don't take that into consideration." Sasha Olson and Rodney Herriot own American Towing and Recovery out of Florence. They echoed Ferguson's frustrations. They shared cars and semis don't always slow down, they've had to dive over their trucks to avoid getting hit, cars have driven over flares and have purposely hit their cones. "It makes me mad," Herriot said. "It frustrates me. It aggravates me. Like I was saying earlier, it's my office. If you could put it into perspective, how would people think if I came through their office at 70 miles per hour while they're trying to work. You know, and then it makes your heart pump, it makes you nervous, it makes you half scared sometimes because you don't know if you're going home that night." The House of Representatives passed the bill on March 1. It will now move to the Senate for debate. RESOURCE LINK

A 28-year-old Rothsay, Minnesota, woman was struck by a vehicle along Interstate 94, west of Highway 210 in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, Wednesday morning, Feb. 24. The 15-year-old driver of the vehicle continued driving and hit a tow truck and pickup truck before coming to a stop. Their passenger was an 18-year-old from St. Paul, Minnesota. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and road conditions were snowy and icy, according to a Minnesota State Patrol incident report. The pedestrian sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to Lake Region Healthcare in Fergus Falls. The driver, their passenger and the drivers of the tow truck and pickup truck were not injured, the incident report stated. Otter Tail County and Fergus Falls Police Department responded to the incident. RESOURCE LINK

Senior Suffers Fatal Medical Emergency Seated in Tow Truck After COVID Shot A 78-year-old Cathedral City man died Tuesday when he suffered a medical emergency on Interstate 10 in Beaumont hours after getting the COVID-19 vaccine at an area Veterans Health Administration hospital. The initial 911 call came in about 2:05 p.m. on the I-10 Oak Valley Parkway eastbound off ramp, according to the California Highway Patrol. Officer Matt Napier said the septuagenarian and another person were en route home from getting him his COVID-19 shot when their car broke down near Calimesa Boulevard. They called for a tow truck, which picked them up and continued eastbound toward the Coachella Valley. While in transit on the I-10, the victim, who fell asleep earlier in the trip, could not be awakened, spurring the tow truck driver to pull over at Oak Valley Parkway, Napier said. Despite first responders’ attempts to save him, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. No specifics about his medical emergency were released, and his name was not immediately released. RESOURCE LINK

This was posted today by Austin Gayne’s Mother

Photo Credit: FAIR LAWN HEAVY RESCUE A tow truck ended up atop a jersey barrier, throwing debris into the road and spilling fuel Thursday morning. FAIR LAWN, NJ — A flatbed tow truck sustained heavy damage in an accident that injured two people in Fair Lawn Thursday morning, police said. Police responded to Broadway near Tunbridge Road at 10:15 a.m. on reports of a vehicle mounted on a jersey barrier in the area. Officers discovered the flatbed tow truck — property of City-Wide Towing of Hawthorne — mounted on the barrier, with "heavy front-end damage." Police said the tow truck was travelling on Broadway westbound when it was cut off by an unknown vehicle. The tow truck then "pushed into" the back in of a garbage truck. After making contact with the garbage truck, the tow truck "became attached to a rear push bar on the garbage truck," police said. It was turned sideways, and then struck the barrier head-on once it became detached from the truck. The driver of the tow truck, a 52-year-old Hawthorne man, was evaluated for neck pain, but refused to be taken to an area hospital, police said. Concrete debris from the barrier was thrown into the road, striking a 2006 Nissan, police said. The driver of the Nissan, a 57-year-old Fair Lawn man, was evaluated at the scene for head pain, but also refused transport to an area hospital. The accident also caused a fuel spill. Fair Lawn Rescue responded to the scene to address the spill, and New Jersey Department of Transportation employees were on scene to inspect the damaged barrier and assist with traffic. No charges will be filed, and Broadway has since reopened to traffic, police said. RESOURCE LINK

JOHOR BARU: Tow truck operators are among those who have been hard hit by Covid-19, with the pandemic transforming their once hectic lives into more sedate ones. Many have now turned to odd jobs to make ends meet. Tow trucker S. Kanason, 52, said he used to tow at least two cars a day, travelling as far as Kuala Lumpur to bring vehicles back to Johor. “However, I hardly get to tow one car a week now. At most, I can tow three cars in one week if I am lucky. “Apart from fewer cars on the road, it has also been difficult for me to cross districts and state borders to attend to traffic emergencies. “The owner will need to make a police report first if they need me to travel far to tow their car, ” he said. He added that many of his fellow tow truckers had left the field as it was hard to sustain themselves. “I am currently helping my wife run her stall at a restaurant here as I can no longer depend on the income from towing cars. “In fact, we have to use income from running the stall to pay for the monthly rental of the tow truck, ” he said in an interview here. Another tow trucker, Chin Ting Wee, 42, said he had lost more than 80% of his income since the movement control order was first imposed in March last year. “There was a slight improvement when the interstate travel restriction was lifted last year, but things worsened after the second MCO was announced last month. “People are also less likely to call tow trucks now as they do not have money to pay for the service, and their insurance may have expired. “Some will just leave their cars at the side of the road when they have no other option, ” he said. Chu Fong Wee, 55, who is the director of a workshop that also provides towing services, said business had dropped by between 70% and 80% since last March. “Festive seasons used to be busy for us as many people would drive long distances to return to their hometowns, but it has been quiet since last year, ” he said. RESOURCE LINK

CHICAGO (CBS) — A baby was found safe Thursday inside a locked car that was towed to the impound lot after police said a father parked it illegally downtown. As CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported exclusively, Chicago Police said the father left the car parked in a tow zone in front of a fire hydrant on Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street, when a city tow truck hooked it up and hauled it away. The baby’s dad now faces misdemeanor charges. “He’s hysterical – parked at the cab zone, ran in the store for a few minutes. He left the infant in the car,” a dispatcher said after the father called 911. The father had left the 5-month-old baby in a car seat in the illegally parked car as he ran into a store. At 11:45 a.m., a city Streets and Sanitation worker hitched the car to a tow truck. Police said the tow truck driver saw the rear-facing car seat in the vehicle, but did not see the infant because of the tint on the vehicle’s windows, police said. The car was towed to the city impound lot. “We’re with the caller, squad. Basically, witnesses said the city tow truck towed a vehicle with his infant in the car, so we’re going to see if we can probably relocate them downstairs to see if it’s in the pound,” an officer said over police radio. Five minutes after that exchange, Chicago Police were indeed able to track down the car, and the baby. “The car is about to be pulled into the lot. The baby is in the car. The baby is crying,” an officer said over radio. “We have no keys to the car, so we’re going to try to open it up right now.” Officers took the frazzled father to the lot, where he was reunited with the baby. The baby was then checked out by waiting paramedics. The father was patted down by officers at the scene and was then allowed into the ambulance with the child, who was taken to a local hospital in good condition. Streets and San supervisors would not answer any questions about the incident, and instead told Kozlov and her crew to leave. The baby’s father did not want to speak with is. Police said he is facing misdemeanor child endangerment charges, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has been notified. RESOURCE LINK

Wasilla woman sentenced to 7 years in prison for manslaughter, OUI in death of tow truck driver Feb. 25—A 24-year-old woman accused of hitting and killing a tow truck driver while she was driving an SUV in November pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter and operating under the influence this week. Michelle Parker of Wasilla was sentenced to serve seven years in prison, will have her driver's license revoked for 10 years and spend 10 years on probation after she's released from incarceration, according to a plea agreement signed in court Monday. In the early hours of Nov. 29, officers were called to the intersection of DeBarr Road and Pine Street for a report of a vehicle in the ditch, according to charges filed in Anchorage Superior Court against Parker. The driver was eventually arrested on charges of operating under the influence, the charges said. Vulcan Towing was called to the area to tow the car from the ditch. As 57-year-old tow truck driver Hans Michael Moore was loading the vehicle onto the truck just after 3 a.m., he was struck by a Dodge Journey SUV driving without headlights, the charges said. Moore was rushed to the hospital but died from his injuries. About an hour after the crash, Parker's blood alcohol content was two times the legal limit for driving, the charges said. The section of road where she struck Moore was closed at the time for repairs on a water main. Parker was arrested on charges of manslaughter and operating under the influence, which she pleaded guilty to Monday. A charge of driving in violation of license limitation was dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Parker was required to use an interlock ignition system that could detect alcohol consumption when she drove because of a previous OUI conviction. Police said she did not have the device the night she struck Moore. At the sentencing hearing Monday, statements from Moore's wife and sister were read. Parker told Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson she was ashamed of herself and devastated by her actions, and she apologized to the Moore family, according to a statement from the Alaska Department of Law. Moore's death shook the Alaska towing community and in the week that followed, more than 200 commercial vehicles, cars and tow trucks gathered for a memorial service to celebrate Moore's life and show solidarity with others in the industry. Tow truck driving is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Moore had only been with Vulcan Towing for about six months, but coworkers described him as a hard worker and a fast learner and said he was like family. RESOURCE LINK

MADISON, Wisc. (February 25, 2021) – Milwaukee area roads are likely to have more cars on them in 2021, and AAA – The Auto Club Group is adding more service trucks to get them back on the go if and when trouble strikes. A new fleet of service vehicles exclusively dedicated to roadside assistance calls from AAA members will supplement existing local service contractors in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. “AAA – The Auto Club Group is committed to providing reliable service wherever and whenever it is needed,” said Scott VerBracken, Vice President of Automotive Services for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “This fleet will help us provide greater peace of mind to members in, or traveling through, this growing market.” AAA membership in the state has increased by over 40,000 in the last 3 years, and approximately 40 percent of Wisconsin roadside service calls occur in the Milwaukee area. The new fleet is strategically based near the critical Zoo Interchange and provides comprehensive service to AAA members during peak travel times. Services provided include battery boosts, fuel delivery, flat tire repair, lockout assistance, and if necessary, towing. AAA members can request service through their AAA Mobile App, by texting “HELP” to 800-222-6424, using Alexa or Google Assistant, or going online to aaa.com/service. AAA is still recruiting qualified technicians for the Milwaukee fleet. You can learn more and apply by clicking here. AAA also urges all motorists to remember and comply with Wisconsin’s “Move Over” law, which requires drivers to shift lanes or slow down to provide a “safety zone” for a tow truck or service vehicle, squad car, ambulance, fire truck, utility vehicle, or highway maintenance vehicle that is stopped on the side of the road with its warning lights flashing. All AAA service providers are following extra safety protocols to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and support the health and well-being of both our crews and members. In order to maintain social distancing recommendations, passengers are currently not allowed to ride in service vehicles. In light of this current safety measure, The Auto Club Group will arrange for unattended tows and will assist members with securing alternate transportation. RESOURCE LINK

Police identify woman killed in 3-vehicle crash on Route 199 in Williamsburg WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — One person is dead after a three-vehicle crash Tuesday morning in Williamsburg. On Tuesday afternoon, James City County police identified the person who died in the crash as 29-year-old Hailey R. Diggs of York County. Police also said a 63-year-old person who drove a Honda CRV involved in the crash also sustained minor injuries. The third vehicle involved in the crash was a tow truck. The 38-year-old male driver of that vehicle was not injured. The crash happened around 8:30 a.m. on westbound Route 199 about half a mile east of the Longhill Road exit, James City County police say. It shut down Route 199 between John Tyler Highway and Longhill Road for several hours. Footage from Chopper 10 showed two vehicles crashed off the road, including the yellow Jeep with heavy damage. Police said the tow truck had stopped to tow a vehicle that had become stuck in the median earlier Tuesday morning. The truck was partially in the left lane of Route 199. A 2003 Jeep Wrangler traveling in the left lane then struck the tow truck from behind. The impact caused the Jeep to go into the right lane, where it was hit by a 2018 Honda CRV. Police said Diggs was wearing a seat belt, but the impact still caused her to be ejected from the Jeep. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The person driving the Honda, a James City County resident, was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News with minor injuries. The driver of the tow truck was inside the truck when the crash happened, but he was not injured. Police said the Jeep is totaled. The Honda also sustained significant damage. Route 199 reopened after being closed for several hours for the investigation. The crash is still under investigation, police said. Resource Link with Video

Three vehicles were involved in the collision. A woman died at the scene. Another person was injured but is expected to survive. JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. — James City County police investigated a multi-vehicle crash Tuesday morning that killed a woman. Authorities say the crash took place in the westbound lanes of Route 199 about a half-mile east of the Longhill Road exit around 8:30 a.m. Three vehicles were involved including a tow truck, a Jeep and a Honda. After some investigation, police learned that the tow truck had stopped to tow a car that got stuck in the median early that morning. Even though the tow truck pulled over on the side of Route 199, it was still taking up a little space in the left lane of the highway. A Jeep Wrangler driving in that lane hit it from behind. The impact caused the Jeep to go into the right lane where it was struck by a Honda CRV. Even though the driver of the Jeep was wearing a seatbelt, she was ejected due to the force of the impact and died at the scene. Police identified her as 29-year-old Hailey R. Diggs. The 63-year-old driver of the Honda was rushed to Riverside Regional Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries. The Jeep was totaled and the Honda sustained a lot of damage. A 38-year-old man driving the tow truck was inside the truck when the crash took place and wasn't hurt. Route 199 westbound was shut down for several hours as authorities investigated the crash scene. The collision is still under investigation. RESOURCE LINK with video

Fight Brewing over Insurer-Backed California Bill That Includes Autobody Shops An insurance industry-backed California bill to create a new regulatory board for towing and storage companies under the California Department of Consumer Affairs has drawn opposition from the auto body industry. Assembly Bill 294 was introduced by Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, in January, and is sponsored by insurance companies. The bill, also known as the Vehicle Tow and Storage Act, would establish the Vehicle Towing and Storage Board in the Department of Consumer Affairs and would empower the board to regulate and resolve disputes involving vehicle towing businesses. The bill would also require a business to obtain a vehicle tow and storage permit and pay an annual fee before operating a tow truck or tow vehicle in California. It would establish various penalties for violations of these provisions. The bill is being opposed by the California Autobody Association. Jack Molodanof, a lobbyist for the group, says the bill shouldn’t include auto body shops, which are already heavily regulated by the Bureau of Automotive Repair, and that it prohibits auto repair shops from charging reasonable rates for storage. “This new board is overly broad and would capture automotive repair dealer’s, that charge ancillary storage,” he said. These ARDs are not in the towing and storage business, he noted. “The auto repair industry is in the business to diagnose, perform maintenance, repair vehicles and are regulated by BAR,” he said. “Storage service is ancillary to auto repair shops, but usually only comes into play on total loss vehicles or when a customer does not pick up and pay for authorized repairs in a reasonable amount of time. If an ARD is charging unreasonable storage rates or an issue arises regarding storage, a consumer can file a complaint with BAR to investigate.” A spokesperson for Santiago office has been reached out to for comment. The American Property Casualty Insurance Association has also been reached out to for comment. In the case of possible total-loss vehicles, BAR does not allow an auto shop to charge storage on a vehicle while it is under repair, which includes performing an initial teardown and diagnostic work to prepare an accurate estimate. Molodanof explained that the customer must authorize this work before it is started, and if the customer does not authorize the teardown, or the shop believes the car is an obvious total loss, storage charges are allowed. Storage charges may accrue once the tear down estimate is complete and the customer is notified, but it rarely accrues if the car is ultimately repaired, h added. “Once any of the above conditions are met, it is up to the insurer and the vehicle owner to make the decision to repair the car or declare it a total loss,” Molodanof said. “The problem is that insurers delay in making that decision for long periods of time causing storage fees to increase unnecessarily. We believe that insurers are trying to cap storage rates to make up for their own inefficient total loss settlement processes.” The bill is next set to be heard in the Assembly Committee on Transportation. RESOURCE LINK

NWA tow truck driver helps put 40 people experiencing homelessness in motels

Task Force Seeks Tow Truck Driver Who May Have Witnessed Crash Before Dixon Officer-Involved Shooting DIXON (CBS13) – Authorities are searching for a potential witness to a single-vehicle crash that occurred moments before California Highway Patrol officers fatally shot the driver in Dixon in January, the Solano County Major Crimes Task Force announced on Thursday. A car crashed just off the shoulder of the road along I-80 near Dixon Avenue at around 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 30, authorities said. The task force said it is seeking a good Samaritan tow truck operator who stopped near Midway Road, just south of Dixon Avenue, to offer aid to the driver – later identified as Karl Waler, 29 – before California Highway Patrol officers arrived at the scene. The operator was described as a man with dark, collar-length hair and a full beard. He was driving what authorities said was “a flatbed style tow truck with either a white or yellow cab.” RESOURCE LINK

The maximum rate that towing companies in Escambia County are allowed to charge hasn't changed since 2009 and towing business owners are calling on the county to increase the rate. The Escambia County Commission is scheduled to discuss raising its cap on non-consensual towing rates at its next Committee of the Whole meeting on March 11. A county ordinance caps the rate for non-consensual towing and vehicle storage, which for cars under 10,000 pounds is set at a flat fee of $100 for towing and $20 a day for storage. Additional fees can be charged such as a $35 administrative fee and extra labor fees if a tow truck driver has to wait at the scene of an accident for longer than 30 minutes. Non-consensual towing can occur if a person parks their car without the permission of a property owner, or in the event of a car wreck in which the police request a car to be towed from the scene. In the event of a wreck, some car insurance policies will cover the cost of towing. Local tow truck owners have appealed to the County Commission at recent public forums to ask for the caps on the rate to be increased, arguing that they are the lowest in Florida. Those who have spoken have said that the rising costs of insurance and labor are becoming difficult to cover with the fees so low. Gary Sapp, the owner of Gary Sapp Automotive, was one of the business owners who spoke before the commission at their meeting on Feb. 4. Sapp said he owned six tow trucks, but he can afford to operate only three of them because of increasing insurance costs. RESOURCE LINK

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The driver of a tow truck was arrested Thursday in Southeast Portland after hitting multiple vehicles and refusing to surrender to police, authorities said. Officers were called out to the 6200 block of SE 97th Avenue just before noon. They learned someone had fired a gun at a vehicle involved in a nearby crash and that other hit-and-runs to vehicles were happening in the Lents neighborhood, Portland police said. The person who allegedly fired the gun was detained but has not been charged with a crime. No one was hurt. Officers found the suspected hit-and-run vehicle — a yellow tow truck — but the driver took off when officers tried to stop it. Police later found the truck at SE 92nd Avenue and SE Woodstock Boulevard and officers used their patrol vehicles to box it in. Police said the driver at first refused to get out of the truck when told to do so and held a knife to his throat while taunting officers. Officers with the Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team were called but officers at the scene were able to convince the driver to put the knife down and surrender before they arrived. Dolphus M. Creer Jr. of Portland was arrested and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. The 30-year-old is facing numerous charges, including three counts of first-degree attempted assault, two counts of second-degree attempted assault and three counts of violating a restraining order. Creer is accused of violating a restraining order protecting a family member on Wednesday. RESOURCE LINK

MHP: Tow truck operator killed after driver loses control on icy road WARREN CO., Miss. (WLBT) - An icy road in Warren County is to blame for a deadly wreck around 9:20 p.m. Friday. The Mississippi Highway Patrol responded to a one-vehicle crash on I-20W near Bovina. While attempting to remove the vehicle from the roadway, another vehicle lost control on the icy roads and collided with the tow truck which killed the tow truck operator, MHP says. Deputies say the operator, 44-year-old George Spratley, Jr. of Bovina, died as a result of his injuries. The driver and the passenger in the Toyota Tacoma, which hit the tow truck operator were not injured. This crash is under investigation and more information is expected to be released. RESOURCE LINK Early Saturday Morning 02.13.21: A Notification was posted by Ward's Wrecker Service. It’s with a heavy heart that we have to say good bye to one of our finest. George Spratley will be deeply missed. George was struck by a passing vehicle while doing a recovery last night on I-20 in Warren County. Please pray for him and his family during this rough time and Please slow down and move over for your first responders.

Yup! This Is My CRAZY VAN LIFE | Tow Truck Driver KNOCKED ON THE VAN?? He Thought It Was Funny YES, I know it's not all about the Tow Truck. But, I did find it both Interesting & Entertaining. Hope you do as well.