Tower Down - 08.31.21 (TX) "UPDATED 04.04.24"

[TowNews]

Woman Charged With Intoxication Manslaughter After Slamming Into Tow Truck Operator, Knocking Him Off Overpass

 

 

 

Tow truck driver killed while working on Dallas High 5

 

DALLAS - A tow truck driver was hit and killed on the Dallas High 5 interchange in North Dallas overnight.

 

Dallas police said it happened around 10 p.m. as the driver was hooking up a disabled car on the ramp from Interstate 635 to the Central Expressway.

 

The car was hit from behind by an SUV and the man was knocked over a railing. 

 

He fell about 50 feet to the road below where he was hit by several cars.

 

Police said the tow truck’s flashing lights were on at the time.

 

The woman who caused the crash was arrested and will face charges of intoxication manslaughter.

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

Updated Aug. 31st 11:30pm

 

 

DALLAS — Updated at 11:02 p.m. with the tow truck driver's name.

 

A tow truck driver was struck and killed on a High Five overpass in north Dallas on Monday night, and a suspect has been arrested, police said.

 

Denise Chantel Alford, 35, faces an intoxication manslaughter charge in the crash, according to a police news release.

 

The crash happened about 9:45 p.m. on the overpass from LBJ Freeway to southbound U.S. 75.

 

The tow truck driver, later identified by the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office as 35-year-old Garry McGee, was hooking up a vehicle to his truck when Alford, who was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe west on LBJ, struck the vehicle, police said.

 

The collision knocked McGee off of the overpass and onto the freeway below, police said. McGee died at the scene.

 

 

Garry McGee DFW Area Light Up

 

'Final Ride' held for tow truck driver killed by intoxicated woman

 

FT. WORTH, Texas – In a heartfelt gesture for one of their own, tow truck drivers held a processional “Final Ride” for a man killed while doing his job.

 

Garry McGee, an Army veteran, and tow truck operator, was killed on Aug. 30 while on the job. He had been hooking up a vehicle to his truck on LBJ Freeway.

McGee was hit by a woman and thrown over the overpass and onto the freeway. She was later charged with intoxication manslaughter.

 

 

FT. WORTH, Texas – In a heartfelt gesture for one of their own, tow truck drivers held a processional “Final Ride” for a man killed while doing his job.

Volume 90%

 

In a heartfelt gesture for one of their own, tow truck drivers held a processional “Final Ride” for a man killed on Aug. 30 - Raw Video

Garry McGee, an Army veteran, and tow truck operator, was killed on Aug. 30 while on the job. He had been hooking up a vehicle to his truck on LBJ Freeway.

 

McGee was hit by a woman and thrown over the overpass and onto the freeway. She was later charged with intoxication manslaughter.

 

A “Final Ride” was held for Garry by numerous wrecker services, including his employer Apollo Wrecker Service. He leaves behind a wife and two daughters.

 

RESOURCE LINK with video

[Kanuit]

Condolences to his two families 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 The charge should be murder

[Jess]

So Sad! My Prayers for his family!

 

If you choose to drink and drive, that is voluntary! When you do so and hit someone on the freeway that has his lights to warn you, then I think it is time to reconsider the "involuntary manslaughter" she will probably only receive. Just venting my feelings guys. It deeply saddens me to see this over and over. 

[auto rescue]

My Condolences to the operators family .

[GRUMPS The Towman]

My condolences to this Operators family, friends and co-workers. 

And BTW, There is NOTHING "involuntary" about getting sloshed then driving a vehicle into someone or something... The charge should be MURDER. Plain and simple..

Maybe, just Maybe if these f#&king worthless, self-centered drunks  and drug addicts start getting life in prison or even better the DEATH penalty, They will quit killing us...

[Barry Sanford]

Does the term; "throw the book at her" ring any bells?

I hope the drivers family files a huge wrongful death claim, that is if she even had insurance.

[Steve W]

>     Police said the tow truck’s flashing lights were on at the time.

 

That seems to be a no win situation. Keep them off (as the research says) to prevent the drunks from being attracted to them and driving right into the lights.

Or 

Keep them on to alert the people texting and driving to move over a lane that they probably won't do anyway. 

 

But bridge work is the ultimate no escape situation.

 

They did not mention where the driver of the disabled car was.  If it was an unattended tow that would really suck that it could have waited till daylight hours or a lane closure at 3am. 

We gotta start looking out for ourselves in some situations.  

[Midnightsun]

When that happened here in Alaska the persons who killed a driver up here was only given 5 years 

[mooresbp]

Our thoughts and prayers

[TowZone]

UPDATED - 09.15.21

[TowForce]

Updated - 04.04.24

Woman sentenced for 2021 drunk driving crash that killed a tow truck driver

 

 

The woman whose drunk driving crash caused a tow truck driver to be pushed off the High Five and fall to his death in 2021 has finally been sentenced.

 

38-year-old Denise Alford was convicted of intoxication manslaughter for the August 2021 accident. Today she was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Police records show Alford slammed her Chevy Tahoe into a man who was hooking up a stalled car to his tow truck on one of the high ramps of the LBJ Express near Highway 75, knocking him off the overpass and onto the freeway 30 feet below.

The jury found that Alford was under the influence at the time and convicted her of intoxication manslaughter. She could have gotten 20 years.

RESOURCE LINK