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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.
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. 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. “I (saw) a lot of tree trunks stuck in people’s driveways. A 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.
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.
Ga. Company
Helped, Fed Victims
Harris 1 Trucking’s Dontavious Harris was happy to give back to the community following storms. WALB.com image.
N.Y. Towman Fatally Struck
A tow operator from Yonkers, N.Y., was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver on I-95 in Harrison in December. State police say Salvatore Brescia, 32, was hit after he had just loaded a disabled minivan onto his flatbed. The owner of the minivan was sitting in the passenger seat of the tow truck. The driver of the car who hit the tow truck operator fled the scene. Brescia’s family said that Salvatore had big plans for the New Year. He recently bought a home and was set to marry his fiancee in July. “You have to pull over, please do that,” his father, Steven, said. “That’s somebody else’s dad, that’s somebody else’s son. These are people who are not on the street to harm anybody there. This is your help.” Source: westchester.news12.com. Commissioners Take Tow Operations
The Lake County (Ind.) Council recently approved two ordinances that transfer control over the county’s towing contracts to the commissioners and eliminates the Sheriff Department’s non-reverting tow and franchise fee fund, redirecting towing money to the general fund. Officials stripped responsibility of the towing contracts from Sheriff John Buncich in the wake of a towing scandal alleging bribes and misappropriation of funds. Buncich, former Chief of Police Timothy Downs and William Szarmach, of CSA Towing in Lake Station, were named in a multi-count indictment alleging an illegal towing scheme in which the sheriff accepted bribes in the form of cash and donations to his campaign fund, according to court records. All three face charges of wire fraud, while Buncich and Szarmach are also charged with bribery. Source: chicagotribune.com
Towers in Missouri worked together to promote Move Over awareness recently. KSHB.com image.
Ohio Govenor John Kasich
A convoy of tow trucks, Missouri Dept. of Transportation workers and first responders took to I-70 in Kansas City, Mo., to promote awareness of the Move Over law on Jan. 7. Montana Diamond, a driver for the Jackson County Tow Service, organized the event. “We’re just tired of getting hit. We want to make it home to our families at the end of the day like anyone else would,” said Diamond. Added Jeff Jewel, fire chief of the Inner City Fire Department, “People aren’t paying attention. Maybe they’re texting on their phones or driving while impaired. “So it’s just an opportunity for us to drive around town with our lights on and drive around in solidarity.” Source: kshb.com.
Kasich Signs Tow Bill
The Association of Professional Towers - Ohio have announced that Sub HB 341 was signed into law by Gov. John Kasich on Jan. 4 and will take effect in early April. The bill establishes public safety regulations for towing, safety standards for private towaway zone towing and after-hours retrieval fees. APTO “spent a tremendous amount of time and effort to ensure these rules are fair to the industry,” the organization said. The association also promised a complete analysis of this protower law will be posted soon on the APTO website. In addition, a seminar to educate Ohio towers on all the new laws is in the works. Source: aptohio.com.
