Tragic and unessasary.

[towguy76]

This past weekend a fellow towtruck operator was killed. He was cleaning debris from the road at an accident scene when he was run over. There were several police and emergency vehicles present, all with their emergency lights going. There was also county, and state police officers directing traffic at the scene. A man in his 60s driving a tractor trailer loaded with woodchips failed to stop for officers blocking traffic. The tow operator did not have enough time to get out of the way and was run over by the chip truck. He was crushed by the tires of the truck and killed instantly. The driver of the tractor trailer did not stop after running over the tow operator and the police had to chase him down for several mies. It is unknown by the public at this time as to whether the driver fell asleep at the wheel and panicked after hitting the man, or was oblivious to the whole thing untill he was stopped. Mechanical problems have been ruled out.

[phoneguy]

It's a shame that there is that kind of stupidity on the road today. Like you said, not sure of why, but one fact remains---HE WASN'T PAYING ATTENTION!!!! as so many drivers do --or should I say -don't do.
Just my 4 cents.

[towguy76]

It hits close to home for 2 reasons.

1. I am out on these roads doing the same work (towtruck operator).

2. This happened locally. Though i really didnt know this tower personally, our paths have crossed on a few occasions. We both work the same area.

[78KW]

That is horrible!!!!! Inattentiveness has taken another person who was doing their job. Not to mention, he just made older drivers who are perfectly capable, look very incompetent.

Sometimes, you just don't realize how dangerous, and hard, a tow truck driver's job really is.

[Deleted]

I feel for the Tow truck drivers family. 20 years ago when I drove wrecker I was hit by a drunk driver. He didn't stop for the sheriff and clipped a squad car and then hit me. Threw me over the back of my tow truck and into the ditch. That started my back problems which I have today. Two bad disks in my spine from the impact. I hope they give stiff penalty to the truck driver. 1st degree vehicular manslaughter atleast.

[41chevy]

phoneguy said:

It's a shame that there is that kind of stupidity on the road today. Like you said, not sure of why, but one fact remains---HE WASN'T PAYING ATTENTION!!!! as so many drivers do --or should I say -don't do.
Just my 4 cents.

I'm very sorry for his family and the impact on the other tow drivers.I understand the inattentivness of other driversand workers on the highways.
In 1976 while at an accident (with police present) my wrecker was hit headon by a driver who never saw the entire scene. Paul

[78KW]

The last two posts are especially troubling, but thankfully, neither of you were killed. I know sometimes that an accident scene isn't always recognizable from a distance, but a commotion in or near the roadway ahead should at least cause one to slow down a little, until they're sure what they're looking at. I've lost count of how many people I've seen fly right up to the accident scene, and then almost create another one.

[b s express]

FlatbedKW You are so right....Some drivers out there are just crazy trying to make time. I was on snow covered ice a month ago and doing 35 mph on I-57 south of Champaign Il. coming in from Ark. All I could see was tailights on the trailer 100 yds. in front of me and whoooosssshhhh 3 semi's passed us doing 60 plus while we where passing a semi on it's side in the meridian. I was so happy to park my rig that night.
PLEASE EVERYBODY DO NOT LET YOUR GUARD DOWN....EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED and BE SAFE OUT THERE
It really makes me sick to hear about people trying to keep us safe getting in the way of the people we have to watch for. SENSELESS.... OUR PRAYERS GO OUT TO EACH OF THEM..

[jameschampion]

i agree with the statement drivers are not paying attention. i along with 2 other motorist wre almost hit by a tractor trailer this morning. on highway 50 in florida a 2 lane road very dark this morning a car passed me in my truck and then tried to pass two other trucks and didnt have enough time and hit the brakes to slow down and on the damp roadway lost control and spun out and hit another vehicle head on . as i got slowed down and put on my high beams and flashers then got out to help victims in the vehicle with 2 others that stopped here comes a winn dixie tractor trailer right up on the scene doing at least 60 mph. we all just ran for the side of the road almost getting hit. granted it was still dark but when you see a tractor trailer in the road with high beams and flashers maybe you should just take a little thought that something might be going on and slow down. luckly everyone in the vehicles survived and we did not get hit but driver need to pay attention. i know this is long winded but i was pretty shook up at the scene and as this accident happened right in front of me had i not been paying attention i very well could have ran into the accident myself. well i will shut up now and just say please be safe and get home alive
james champion

[78KW]

Apr 10, 2008 20:03:31 GMT -5 jameschampion said:

i agree with the statement drivers are not paying attention. i along with 2 other motorist wre almost hit by a tractor trailer this morning. on highway 50 in florida a 2 lane road very dark this morning a car passed me in my truck and then tried to pass two other trucks and didnt have enough time and hit the brakes to slow down and on the damp roadway lost control and spun out and hit another vehicle head on . as i got slowed down and put on my high beams and flashers then got out to help victims in the vehicle with 2 others that stopped here comes a winn dixie tractor trailer right up on the scene doing at least 60 mph. we all just ran for the side of the road almost getting hit. granted it was still dark but when you see a tractor trailer in the road with high beams and flashers maybe you should just take a little thought that something might be going on and slow down. luckly everyone in the vehicles survived and we did not get hit but driver need to pay attention. i know this is long winded but i was pretty shook up at the scene and as this accident happened right in front of me had i not been paying attention i very well could have ran into the accident myself. well i will shut up now and just say please be safe and get home alive
james champion

Glad you made it.

[Bri]

Back in 2002 I covered the NYState thruway with the towing service I worked for. My close buddy was working on another truck that night and I got called to an accident on my stretch of the thruway. I already had a car on the hook that iw as dropping so my buddy Wade radio'd me and told me he'd take the call and meet me there. I told him I'd meet him there in about 20 minutes and continued to the lot to drop the car I had.
I dropped my car and was headed to the scene of the accident on the thruway and when I got on the highway, a tractor trailer passed me and he was FLYING. I could see the flashing lights of the accident scene a mile or so up the road. I watched the tractor trailer continue at a high rate of speed and I ddin't see his brake lights come on as he approached the scene. I saw the lights sort of "rock" as the tractor trailer went by, but didn't think much of it. A car passed me as I was coming up on the scene and i saw the brake lights slam on and it was in the middle lane. As i pulled up behind my buddy's tow truck, I saw people running around in the highway and on the side of the road screaming like maniacs. I had no idea what was going on. The lady who passed me in the car was standing in the middle of the thruway screaming with her hands over her eyes so I went over to see what she was looking at.
What I saw still haunts me to this day. At first I thought it was a jacket that was wadded up and tossed on the roadway, but when I leaned down, I saw the top half of a body, from the waist up. I saw the face and it was my buddy Wade. I asked the people who were there what happened and they told me Wade was trying to get into the tow truck when the tractor trailer came by and it "sucked" him into the wheels. The truck never stopped, or even slowed down.
Several hours later, a call came into the state police from a shop mechanic who had made gruesome discoveryy on the truck that had just come back to the terminal a couple hours prior. When the police went to the shop, they found the truck with the bottom half of Wade's body wadded up in the suspension of the trailer. They located the driver and arrested him for Vehicular Mansalughter as well as DWI.
What made it twice as bad was the fact there was a mixup in communication and the state police actually contacte my wife and family and informed them it was me that had been killed that night. I lost one of my best friends because a driver took it upon himself to become a killing machine behind the wheel of a semi. When I got back to the shp that morning I just laid the keys of my truck on the counter and told my boss to give any pay I had left coming to Wade's family to help pay for funeral expenses and I walked out.
I got to see that truck driver in court when he was sentenced and I read an impact statement for him and the judge to hear as well as the guy's family. He was sentenced to 7-15 years in state prison for the accident and his CDL was revoked permamnantly and he had to pay restitution to the towing comapny for the truck as well as the car that was being towed. The trucking company was a small firm but was sued nonetheless and had to pay $50 million dollars in a Wrongful Death civil suit. The comapny went out of business about 3 months aftyer paying the settlement.
I still miss Wade and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about him. he was a blast and I was privelaged to know him and call him a friend.

[78KW]

I'm sorry to hear that Bri. I think you did the right thing by reading the statement in court, and thankfully, he's off the road. It's a shame his fellow employees had to lose their jobs because of his recklessness, and I really feel for you and his family. I do hope the mechanic is ok as well. Finding what he found can have an affect on him.