Owner of Towing Company Dies When Struck by Driver of a Box Truck

The following report is the product of our Cooperative State partner and is presented here in its original unedited form from the state. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the individual Cooperative State partner and do not necessarily reflect the views or policy of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

SUMMARY

In the early morning hours of a summer day, a 49-year-old male owner-operator of a towing company died when he was struck by a driver operating a box truck. The towing company had been called to retrieve a sport utility vehicle (SUV) that had broken down in another state and was returning the vehicle to its owner in Kentucky. It was approximately 4:00 a.m. when the towing company owner and his two sons (ages 2 and 18) were on an interstate returning with the SUV, when the operator thought the load felt strange. He parked his tow truck on the right hand shoulder and was standing on the driver’s side at the rear of the trailer checking the load’s securement, when a box truck in the right lane, driven by a 24-year-old male, struck him. The tow truck driver’s 18-year-old son called emergency medical services to the scene. They arrived, followed by the coroner who declared the towing operator dead at the scene. The driver of the box truck was arrested and subsequently charged with murder, driving under the influence (.115 BAC), driving without insurance, and in violation of numerous other commercial vehicle regulations.

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