Highway Memorial Marker Ceremony Honors Florida Tow Operator Struck and Killed in Orlando

From left: Former Florida State Representative Bob Cortes, Brooke Lawrence, Florida Representative Anna Eskamani and Florida Senator Tom Wright.

A highway memorial marker dedication and Slow Down Move Over ceremony was held December 1 in Orlando, Fla., for fallen tow operator Austin Gayne.

Hosted by the Orlando Fire Department, the ceremony honored Gayne, who was struck and killed February 1, 2021, while loading a vehicle onto his tow truck on the State Road 408 expressway in Orlando.

A highway memorial sign was unveiled at the event. It reads: “Austin D. Gayne Memorial Expressway, Designated By 2022 Legislature of Florida.” The sign will be installed on the 408 expressway.

In attendance were Brooke Lawrence, Austin’s mother, as well as relatives and representatives of the Florida legislature, Florida towing industry and the first responder community. Bob Cortes, former member of the Florida House of Representatives spoke at the event. Cortes, Lawrence wrote in a release about the ceremony, “worked diligently creating the House bill and following it through the Senate until it was passed and signed into law on July 1, 2022.”

The event was covered by local news media.

Lawrence stated that the sign will help keep her son’s memory alive.