Fallen Towers

On March 4, a tow truck procession honored Robert Thornton, 31, an EMS volunteer with the Moonachie First Aid and Rescue Squad and tow operator for Nick’s Towing Service of Rutherford, NJ. Thornton was responding to an accident on the westbound lanes of Route 3 on Feb. 12 when he was struck at approximately 10:30…

Washington tow operators gathered in Lynnwood, Wash., on Thursday, Feb. 17, to honor Joe Masterson, 49, who was killed in the process of towing a vehicle on Interstate 5 in Milton. Masterson was struck by a tractor-trailer on Tuesday, Feb. 15. According to Washington State Patrol troopers, he was on the road shoulder when the…

A 57-year-old tow operator from Miami was struck and killed Sunday, Jan 6, on the Florida Turnpike in St. Lucie County. The operator, who has not been identified, was reportedly standing next to his tow truck in the southbound lane at 12:06 a.m. when a sedan driven by a 20-year-old Deerfield Beach woman struck the…

A tow operator was struck and critically injured Friday, Jan. 28, in Abuquerque, N.M. The operator was reportedly cleaning up at a crash scene when a vehicle swerved into him. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene. The Abuquerque Police Department is investigating the crash.

A tow operator was struck and killed Saturday, Jan. 22, by a hit-and-run driver in northwest Houston. The operator, an independent AAA driver who has yet to be identified, was reportedly loading a disabled vehicle on Highway 290 near Pinemont when he was hit at approximately 2 a.m. The driver of the disabled vehicle was…

On Thursday, Jan. 20, approximately, 100 tow operators took part in a procession in Ottawa, Canada, to honor Phillip Smith, 33, who was struck and killed by a snowplow Monday, Jan. 17. The incident occurred during a winter snowstorm. Smith was assisting a driver with a stuck vehicle on Highway 417 when he was struck…

A tow operator was struck and killed Monday morning at approximately 9 a.m. as he loaded a disabled vehicle in Saraland, Ala. Jonathan Neesmith, 40, was on the shoulder of northbound I-65 when he was hit by a northbound vehicle. He was taken to University Hospital in Mobile, Ala., where he died from his injuries.…

A tow operator was killed Sunday, November 7, in a hit-and-run crash on Interstate 95 in Dillon County, S.C. Operator Steven Bullard, 48, of Red Springs, N.C., was assisting a motorist with a disabled vehicle at approximately 11:30 p.m. when what is believed to be a semi-tractor struck the operator and tow truck and kept…

Pennsylvania State Police have reported that a tow operator was struck by a vehicle and killed Saturday night, November 6, on Interstate 80. The crash occurred near mile marker 184 in Clinton County. According to reports, the operator, James. P. Corl, 80, owner of Valley Truck and Trailer in State College, died at the scene…

A tow operator was struck and killed Wednesday, Nov. 3, while recovering a vehicle on I-5 southbound near Roseburg, Ore. Operator Henry Alan Lichtwald, 63, of Roseburg was recovering the vehicle at approximately 10:50 p.m. when, according to Oregon State Police, the driver of an approaching tractor-trailer failed to move over and struck the tow…