News Share Tower Assaulted with Knife
On November 8th a tow truck driver, in an attempt to retrieve his stolen tow truck at a mall in Everett, Washington, was assaulted by a man sitting behind the wheel, who swung a knife at him, nearly missing his throat, according to court reports. When the suspect swung the knife, the owner punched him in self-defense. The man fled the scene, but shortly after, an officer with a police dog found the man hiding inside a dumpster across the street. The man was arrested for firstdegree assault and possession of a stolen vehicle and booked into the county jail. Source: heraldnet.com
Towers Working OT in South Florida
During Tropical Storm Eta’s intense rains, Miami and Fort Lauderdale roadways and streets had become saturated with water, causing towers to work around the clock to rescue stranded drivers. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said there was no place for the water to drain as water levels had even risen in the canals. Tow trucks were seen going in and out of areas, removing cars that were left stranded in the middle of the roadway. One tow truck driver told a local news reporter that he had towed 17 vehicles by noon. “I’ve been to places where it’s more than 4 feet, 5 feet (of water),” said Max Rodriguez with South Florida Wreckers. “They think they can go through the puddles and it’s not safe.” Another tow truck driver, Anthony Perez with Master Tow, was just trying to help his fellow South Floridians. “It’s actually not about the business, we’re helping the community today,” he said. “We’re just helping everybody get out of here for free.” Source: local10.com
Lee’s Towing.
Vandalized
Wyoming Tow Company
Lee’s Towing of Wheatland, Wyoming was a target of vandalism when several of their tow trucks were shot up with bullets sometime after October 11 by an unknown shooter still at large. The incident was discovered by owner Jeremy Lange and his wife Tiffany when they took their trucks out on calls. In both instances, their motors seized up and needed to be towed back to the business. The bullets, found to have penetrated the engines and radiators, damaged three of their units - a 2015 F450, a 2019 35-ton Peterbilt, and a 2012 55-ton
Peterbilt. Their flatbed was also hit, but only sustained body damage. According to company owner Jeremy Lange, the damage could go up to somewhere around $1M. Lange said, “We moved our kids here because it was a small town. We thought that things like this wouldn’t happen in a small town.” Stauffer’s Towing from Salt Lake City loaned Lee’s Towing two heavy wreckers to help the company continue serving its customers. Source: pcrecordtimes.com
Bringing Awareness to the “Move Over” Law in Oklahoma
In Oklahoma, throughout the week of November 9-15, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol commemorated National Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week, bringing awareness to the “Move Over” Law (State Statute 47:11-314.) Troopers used the week to educate drivers during traffic stops and explain the importance of the “Move Over” law for the safety of law enforcement, emergency responders and motorist assists near the roadway. Officers were watching for those who failed to yield, slow down or move over for emergency vehicles on the shoulder with emergency lights activated. In addition, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and Oklahoma Department of Transportation had message boards
10 • December 2020 | Towman.com
Oklahoma highway troopers.
reminding drivers to slow down and move over for stationary emergency vehicles. Source: tulsaworld.com
