Towman’s Death Ruled an Accident Cambria County (Pa.) Coroner Jeff Lees has identified the towman who died after being pinned between two vehicles as 51-year-old James Harr. Harr towed a 1-ton dump truck to a garage for servicing, Lees said. Harr unloaded the dump truck from his tow truck, then pulled the rollback forward and stepped between the two vehicles to disconnect the chains, Lees said. The dump truck drifted forward, pinning Harr; it was on a slightly sloped area outside the garage, Lees said. Source: tribdem.com.
Towman Order in the ‘L.A. Times’
Huntington Beach police Sgt. Mike Spencer, left, pins the Cross of the Order on John Boucher, manager of Mandic Motors in Huntington Beach, Calif., during his induction into the Towman Order at the American Towman Exposition in November.
John Boucher, manager of Mandic Motors in Huntington Beach, Calif., was cited by the Los Angeles Times for being
inducted into the Order of Towman. Boucher was inducted into the Order, an elite national organization of towing professionals, during the American Towman Exposition in a ceremony held Nov. 19. Sgt. Mike Spencer accompanied Boucher to Baltimore, Md., for the ceremony and pinned the Cross of the Order on him. Boucher was nominated by Huntington Beach Police Chief Robert Handy for his dedication to the towing profession. Mandic Motors contracts with Huntington Beach police, handling municipal towing for the department. Source: latimes.com.
Canadian Towmen Want New Colors Many Alberta, Canada, tow operators are joining together and calling for new safety legislation. They are seeking an alternate color of light on their beacons and better enforcement of the Move Over law. Brad MacMillan of City Wide Towing in Calgary says that motorists have become desensitized to amber lights due to high usage by other roadside workers. “Right now we have lots of plows on the road,” MacMillan said. “They have amber and red lights; however you also have the landscapers that are plowing and removing snow from parking lots they have amber lights, and they’re on all the time. Then you have wide loads and the construction crews on the side of the roads, they’re all amber lights.” MacMillan feels that the difference between towmen and other roadside workers is that towmen have little to no protection while they work. Source: okotoksonline.com. 8 • February 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
Ga. Company
Helped, Fed Victims An Albany, Ga., towing service went above and beyond to help victims of recent storms. Harris 1 Trucking & Wrecker Service offered free towing to vehicles stuck in yards after the recent storm damage in Albany. Dontavious Harris says he was happy to see that some people have taken advantage of this service, and he is very happy to give back to the community. Harris 1 Trucking’s Dontavious Harris was “I (saw) a lot of tree trunks happy to give back to the community stuck in people’s driveways. A following storms. WALB.com image. lot of multiple vehicles stuck in people’s yards, and (we were) trying to make sure people have access to their vehicles so they can, you know, try to get back to their normal routine,” said Harris. He says his company also fed the community and provided hot soup to neighborhoods without power on Jan. 7. Source: wtoc.com.
