Tower Down - 11.29.23 (IL) "Updated"

[TowForce]

Tow truck driver struck, killed on I-255 in Monroe County

 

MONROE COUNTY (KMOV) -- A tow truck driver was killed near Columbia, Illinois, Wednesday morning on southbound I-255.

 

The Illinois State Police Department reported the tow truck driver was loading a broken-down vehicle on the back of the truck when he was struck by a vehicle at milepost 6 around 10:20 a.m. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

The driver that hit the tow truck driver stayed on the scene.

 

The roadway was shut down until around 1:25 p.m.

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

 

Tow truck driver killed in I-255 crash near Dupo, Illinois

 

UPO, Ill. – A tow truck driver assisting one person in need was fatally struck Wednesday morning near Dupo, Illinois, according to Illinois State Police.

 

The crash happened just after 10 a.m. Wednesday in the southbound lanes of Interstate 255, near milepost 6 in Monroe County.

 

Prior to the collision, the tow truck driver was helping someone whose vehicle was broken down on the right shoulder of the road.

 

Investigators say the tow truck driver was in the process of removing the vehicle and loading it onto the truck.

 

While assisting with the matter, a different driver struck the tow truck driver from the left side of the tow truck. The victim died at the scene of the collision.

 

Authorities say the driver who reportedly struck the tow truck driver stayed at the scene amid the investigation. Investigators have not yet determined if charges will be filed or disclosed the identity of anyone involved in the crash.

 

Officials say there have been an alarming number of pedestrians struck and killed on both sides of the St. Louis metro recently, including some on duty for their jobs. Overnight, a pedestrian was also fatally struck in Jefferson County.

 

“The agency has a safe streets and roads grant to do a comprehensive safety study and action plan for the entire St Louis region, including the five counties in Missouri and counties in Illinois,” said Anna M. Musial, Transportation Planning Coordinator for the East-West Gateway Council of Governments.

 

Officials say motor vehicle crashes and fatality rates have mostly been on a downward trend for the last several decades. A June 2023 report from the East-West Gateway Council of Governments shows more data about these trends.

 

Crews briefly rerouted traffic after Wednesday’s crash, which shut down traffic in the southbound lanes of I-255 for several hours. Illinois State Police are handling the investigation into the crash.

 

CORRECTION: Illinois State Police previously referred to the tow truck driver as a pedestrian before sharing an update in the investigation on Wednesday afternoon. The story has been corrected to clarify that the person struck was a tow truck driver on the job.

 

RESOURCE LINK

 

Tow truck operator killed in Illinois served as volunteer firefighter

 

 

EAST CARONDELET, Ill. – The East Carondelet community is mourning the loss of a man known for his generosity. Wade Bivins, 57, was struck and killed on Interstate 255 Wednesday. He was a tow truck operator responding to a call for a vehicle that had trouble.

“I never heard the man say no to anything and I don’t care what time of the day or night it was,” East Carondelet Mayor Herb Simmons said.

 

Bivins was a volunteer firefighter with Prairie Du Pont Fire Department. He served on the East Carondelet Emergency Services Disaster Agency and even volunteered to play Santa Claus for community Christmas celebrations.

 

Simmons and other community members gathered on Wednesday to mourn the loss. Bivins was a husband, father, and grandfather.

“He’s a first responder, and he’s out there helping someone that’s broke down and just think if they would have just moved over,” Simmons said.

 

Illinois State Police responded near I-255 and Route 3 when Bivins was struck. Investigators believe he was loading a vehicle, walked around the left side of the tow truck and was struck. The driver who struck the operator stayed on the scene, according to authorities.

 

Bivins worked for Paw Paw Towing. He was considered family and joined the company earlier this year, according to a manager. That manager said Bivins recently sprang into action to help a baby locked in a vehicle.

 

Parents sue Big Cedar Lodge after child dies in Branson boat accident

 

Other towing companies are also calling on drivers to slow down, move over, and put down their phones.

 

“I’ve got six kids and I’d like to come home to them every night,” said Chad Smith, lead driver for Pippin Towing and Recovery in Festus.

 

He said far too many drivers have phones in their hands, even though it’s against the law in both Illinois and Missouri. Missouri only recently passed legislation banning drivers from having their phones in their hands.

 

Rachel Pippin, owner of the company, has a wall of photographs depicting images from calls resulting in near danger.

 

“It’s a dangerous industry and I just would like more awareness to the public about how dangerous it is,” she said.

 

RESOURCE LINK

[mooresbp]

Thoughts and prayers

[fenderbendr6]

Rest in peace. Prayers to the family.

[hacksaw71]

praying for the family .... and all of us on the road.  rest in peace brother. 

[rreschran]

Sad ... call it another motorist who failed too SDMO. Like it or not, it's suggested the tower was on the dangerous traffic side, "just doing his job." I too send my prayers to the tower's family and the company he worked for, but hence another tow operator fatality that might have been prevented. No, I'm not insensitive to the tower's tragic death, but I'm numb to the shocking reality that; towers get complacent and oftentimes put themselves in harm's way. Ticket be damned, I've learned to not complete that perfect four-point tie-down, but load vehicles from the NTS and get off the highway to complete total tie-down. My motto? "Stay alive to fight the cite!" 

[5towman]

Very tragic. My heart goes out to his family and friends. 

[TOWTRUCK]

Our sincere condolences to the Family, Friends and coworkers both in towing and fire. Such a loss...

[Paw Paw Towing LLC]

We will be doing a procession in honor of Wade Bivins. It will start at the south lot at George Weber Chevrolet in Columbia IL and end at the end of main street on the north end of Dupo. All tow trucks/first responders wanting to be a part of this procession need to meet at George Weber at noon on Tuesday December 5th.