Ferrari vs. Tow Truck Crash In CA

Sad news... Thankfully, the tow truck driver and his passenger were not badly hurt. Here's the Daily Pilot story:

Police have identified 18-year-old Luicci Nader of Huntington Beach as the driver of the Ferrari that crashed on East Coast Highway near Jamboree Road on Dec. 24.

Nader, who remains in critical condition at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana and is unable to speak, was driving the sports car west on East Coast Highway with his relative, Ralph Abinader, 24, in the passenger seat about 5:12 p.m. Police said the Ferrari, a gray 2008 F-430 Spider, was speeding down the highway between Jamboree and Bayside Drive when it lost control and careened onto the other side of the road.

The car smashed head-on into a tow truck, police said. The Ferrari split in two and caught fire. Abinader died at the scene.

If Nader recovers from his injuries, he could face gross vehicular manslaughter or vehicular manslaughter charges for Abinader’s death, said Sgt. Evan Sailor said. Speed contributed to the crash, he said. It would be up to the Orange County district attorney’s office, in cooperation with traffic investigators, to determine if Nader would face misdemeanor or felony charges.

The driver and passenger in the tow truck walked away with minor injuries. Police have not determined if drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.

Thin Ice Means Fat Wallet For Ontario Tower

Larry Bartlett, owner of Bartlett s Towing, stands near the area where a truck and plow broke through the ice on Lake Nipissing, 1.3 kilometres from the shoreline of Link s Beach, Jan. 1. The garbage can in the distance is directly above the sunken vehicle.BRANDI CRAMER The Nugget

Brrrrrrr!!!!! Here's the story from the North Bay Nugget:

CALLANDER. — Winter means a slightly different kind of ice fishing season for Larry Bartlett.

Headed out to the scene of what will be his first vehicle recovery the season, the owner of Bartlett's Towing tries to reassure his nervous passenger the disquieting sound of ice cracking is not necessarily a dire warning.

"When you hear little cracks it is good because it is strengthening the ice," he said explaining driving across the ice sends a pneumatic wave ahead of the vehicle.

As for the noise that precedes a vehicle going through the ice, he doesn't know.

"I've never heard it . . . I guess it's the sound of your bumper hitting the ice, or a splash."

But he says common sense should always be the deciding factor before deciding to venture out on the ice.

"If you don't know, don't go."

And if you do go, drive slow.

"A common mistake people make is they drive too fast or they drive on unfamiliar ice," he said.

Bartlett's Towing has been preparing a recovery scene 1.3 kilometres from the shore of Link's Beach on the south shore of Lake Nipissing since Saturday.

The crew will be plunging its lines 29 feet to hook a 3/4 ton 4X4 truck with plow that went through the ice while hauling a shack out to a fishing spot New Year's Day.

"They hit a pressure crack and went through," Bartlett said.

The truck's plow caught the edge of the ice, giving the driver enough time to unhook the shack and pull it away before his vehicle sank.

Setting up Bartlett's custom engineered extractor — built locally by Central Welding — takes a varying amount of time depending on the distance of the vehicle from shore, depth of the water and — most importantly — ice thickness.

"We do ice thickness and quality tests," he said.

"As we go out we drill holes every 5,200 feet and do it all again every three to four days."

What is he looking for?

Clean and clear ice.

"Every inch of clean and clear ice is supposed to be able to hold up to 1,000 pounds."

Cutting a hole the size of the vehicle takes away from some of that strength, so Bartlett will double those numbers and score for 24 inches of ice to support 12,000 pounds — truck, gear and crew.

On Saturday, the scene had about 10 inches of ice and as of Monday, the crew managed to flood another six inches using gas-powered water pumps.

"It all depends on the weather. Now that is has warmed up it takes longer to freeze in between flooding," he said.

The crew work in shifts, manning the scene 24 hours a day, with hopes of setting up the rigging equipment to pull the truck out Saturday or Sunday.

"All my guys are trained in ice rescue, safety rigging and hoisting as well as various other certifications."

Each is clothed to the hilt and wear personal protective equipment and floater jackets, just in case.

Having worked in the towing industry since a young age, Bartlett's only complaint about ice rescue would be the open conditions.

"The blowing winds," he said.

But truth be told, the wind is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. Especially when the work nets at least $10,000 per recovery and can climb significantly, depending on conditions.

"It's all fun. It's the kind of work I grew up doing. I love my job . . . I am lucky that way."

bcramer@nugget.ca

Southern CA Tow Companies Say Rotation System Is Fair

Here's The Press-Enterprise story:

Inland tow operators and law enforcement say that the tow rotation system is fair, equitable and running smoothly, despite the recent arrest of a college police chief on charges of participating in a kickback scheme with a tow truck operator.

"This was an isolated thing," said Dave Clark, owner of Clark's Towing in San Jacinto.

Most California cities and counties have a rotation set up with area tow operators so when a law enforcement agency needs a vehicle towed, the business gets spread out equally.

Last month, Kevin Segawa, 39, Mt. San Jacinto College's former police chief, was charged with eight felonies and two misdemeanors alleging, in part, that he accepted bribes from a local towing company, then steered a majority of the towing jobs to that company.

Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco said a public agency giving exclusive towing rights to one company is a violation of state law, and receiving gifts in exchange for that arrangement amounts to bribery.

But tow company owners say the rotation system adopted by the California Highway Patrol in 1988 -- the protocol for most county and city law enforcement agencies in the state -- is the best there is.

Gone are the dangerous, first-come first-serve days when 20 tow truck drivers who had been glued to their police scanners would race to an accident scene, operators say.

If businesses in the rotation are being passed over, operators say, they will complain and get the system fixed.

Big share

From 2005 to 2008, Mt. San Jacinto College police officers had about 1,200 vehicles on and around the two campuses in San Jacinto and Menifee towed for various vehicle code violations, said John Hall, a spokesman for the Riverside County district attorney's office.

Although an informal tow rotation agreement existed involving four companies, Segawa directed 85 percent of the tows to San Jacinto-based Pirot's Towing Service, investigators say. That generated an estimated $200,000 to $500,000 in potential profit for the towing company, Hall said.

Segawa has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, perjury and misappropriation of funds. Shortly after the charges were filed, he resigned as police chief at the college, which had placed him on administrative leave last summer.

Morgan McComas, who owns Pirot's, has pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of bribery and misappropriation of public funds.

Sgt. Gina Matteucci, who is in charge of the CHP's towing rotation program in Sacramento, said she wasn't aware of the case at Mt. San Jacinto College.

"Colleges have their own protocol and towing procedures," she said.

In most cases, the towing companies themselves are the best watchdogs, keeping track online or through scanners, Matteucci said.

"A small operation could go under the radar," she allowed.

'it's working fine'

Most law enforcement agencies handle their towing rotations with a computer program, said Clark, whose San Jacinto company has service agreements with many neighboring municipalities as well as the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the CHP.

Still, Clark said he personally monitors the calls on a police scanner.

"I'll call if I get passed over," he said. "I don't want to miss anything. It's income."

Casey Horvath, owner of Hamner Towing in Corona, is president of the 1,000-member Inland Empire chapter of the California Tow Truck Association. There's no prescribed number of towing operators per city, he said, "but the companies have to meet certain requirements to be selected."

Among other things, they must have insurance and proof of workmen's compensation, pass drug and background checks, be certified through the California Tow Truck Association and show inspected equipment.

The Riverside Police Department pays a private company to handle the rotation of 16 towing companies divided into north and south regions, said Karen Haverkamp, a spokeswoman in the department's traffic bureau.

"It's working fine," she said. "If we get complaints, we look into them."

Bill Bell, owner of Town & Country Towing, which has offices in Lake Elsinore, Perris and Temecula, said the towing rotation is a "tightly controlled enterprise, self-regulated through a system of checks and balances."

"If one company is favored, the others complain to law enforcement," Bell said.

Reach Laurie Lucas at llucas@PE .com or 951-368-9569

#1 New Year's Resolution: Read Footnotes Every Month

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MD Tow Truck Driver Killed In Automible Accident

Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of 34-year-old MD tow truck driver Ryan O. Robinson, who died 12/29 after a crash with another vehicle. Here's the story from Fredricksburg.com:

A Maryland tow truck driver was killed yesterday in a two-vehicle crash in King George County.

According to Virginia State Police Trooper A.M. Bowen, who was called to the scene on Dahlgren Road, approximately two miles east of Route 610 or Indiantown Road at about 1:34 p.m., a 1995 International tow truck was traveling west on Route 206 when it crossed the centerline and struck a 1999 Ford F-250 traveling eastbound.

The driver of the tow truck, Ryan O. Robinson, 34, of Montgomery Village, Md., died at the scene. He was not wearing his seat belt, police said.

The driver of the F-250, David L. Warring, 37, of Fredericksburg, was injured in the crash and transported by ambulance to Mary Washington Hospital. Warring was released from the hospital.

He was wearing his seat belt at the time of the accident.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

--Portsia Smith

Update on MI Tower Who Was Hit

Here's the Traverse City Record-Eagle story:

MANCELONA -- A Mancelona man remains hospitalized after a vehicle struck him as he stood on the side of the road.

The victim, 33, an employee at Ken's Towing in Mancelona, removed a vehicle from U.S. 131 near Wabash Avenue Saturday night when a vehicle headed south hit him and his tow truck.

The victim remains at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, said Michigan State Police Lt. Richard Simpson.

Police have not released the victim's name, but said his injuries are not life-threatening.

The female driver of the vehicle, 22, of Kalkaska, was not injured, police said.

No tickets were issued. Speed and alcohol were not factors in the crash, Simpson said.

MI Tow Truck Driver Hit While Working On Side Of Road

Move it over, people! Wishing this Ken's Towing driver a fast and full recovery from his injuries. Here's the story from 9&10 News:

A woman hit and injured a tow truck driver trying to get a car out of the side of the road near Mancelona.

The accident happened around 8:00 Saturday night on US-131, near Wabash Street.

Police say while the tow truck driver with Ken's Towing was operating his truck, a car traveling south hit him. The tow truck driver was taken to Munson Medical Center for his injuries. The woman from Kalkaska driving the car was not hurt.

Troopers want to remind drivers to slow down and move over when approaching stationary emergency or service vehicles.

NJ Tow Truck Driver Hit On Atlantic City Expressway

Wishing 32-year-old Luis Perez a speedy recovery! Here's the story from Press of Atlantic City:

ATLANTIC CITY - A tow truck driver responding to an accident at 11:57 a.m. Sunday was struck by a Ford pickup truck at milepost 2 on the eastbound side of the Atlantic City Expressway, State Police said.

Luis Perez, 32, was in fair condition Sunday night at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Campus.

Police said the pickup truck driver, whose name was not available, apparently lost control of the vehicle. Conditions on the expressway were fairly clear, police said, but there were some sections with blowing snow and slush.

Another expressway crash happened at 5 p.m. Sunday, when an eastbound Chrysler 300 went off-road into the median at milepost 12 in Hamilton Township.

An unidentified passenger complained of chest pains and was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Mainland Campus in Galloway Township, police said.

CA Tow Yard Owner Fights To Stay Put

Here's the Appeal-Democrat story:

A tow yard in Linda employs nearly a dozen people. Its owner, Dick Sanchez, has contributed to community causes for decades. Yuba County officials said they want his business to stay in Yuba County.

Just not where it's at now.

The tow yard on Lindhurst Avenue is in limbo between full operations and being a nonpermitted business after the county Board of Supervisors turned down an appeal last week by Sanchez to keep Sanchez Truck Repair and Towing open despite a Planning Commission decision against it.

Kevin Mallen, director of Yuba County's Community Development and Services Agency, said his staff will begin meeting in the next few weeks to decide on options for where else in the county Sanchez might move his operation, which is similar to a tow yard he's operated for several years in Yuba City.

"There definitely needs to be an exit strategy for those businesses at their current location," Mallen said of the Linda site.

At issue is zoning in the area of Lindhurst Avenue where Sanchez's business is located. Earlier this year, planning staff asked planning commissioners to decide whether a tow yard facility fit under a "commercial" designation for the area, suggesting it might not.

Sanchez said he'd gotten no such feedback from the county when he first opened the Lindhurst site a few years ago.

"I've met all the conditions they wanted for a conditional-use permit, and I think I should have one," Sanchez said at the appeal hearing.

But after several meetings in the fall, the commission decided his business didn't qualify, and denied a conditional-use permit.

Supervisors considered the appeal at length before ultimately denying it on a 4-1 vote. Supervisor Andy Vasquez, who represents Linda and who'd spoke on behalf of Sanchez's business during planning commission meetings, cast the only vote against denial.

Sanchez, who said Friday he didn't want to comment, told supervisors he believed he was being forced out in favor of more attractive retail businesses of the kind the county hopes to attract along Lindhurst Avenue.

His suspicion was somewhat supported by Ian Wallace, a county resident who told supervisors he hopes to develop a small retail center on property near the tow yard.

"What's the betterment to Lindhurst Avenue from tow yards?" Wallace said at the meeting, adding he'd once turned down an offer to establish a tow yard on his property because of the zoning concern. "There's a planning concept known as 'the highest and best use,' and this is going backwards."

Mallen said Sanchez's fears have some merit, as the recently completed General Plan update identified Lindhurst and nearby North Beale Road as prime places for retail and some housing.

Businesses like Sanchez's, he said, might be more ideally situated near the Yuba County Airport or along Highway 65 on Rancho Road.

"Tow facilities are outdoor uses, and we have to figure out the best place for those," Mallen said, adding the county may need more zoning for them than what's already designated.

The county will meet with Sanchez early next year, Mallen said, to come up with a new plan for where his business can go.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Ben van der Meer at 749-4709 or bvandermeer@ appealdemocrat.com. For more Yuba County news, see Ben's blog "Yuba County Insider" at appealdemocrat.com.

Everyday Tow Heroes In Toronto

Vincent McCarthy has a big smile on his face thanks to Robert Polillo, left, and Lorenzo D'Alessandro. (Ernest Doroszuk, QMI Agency)

Here's the story from The Toronto Sun:

Like any industry, the towing and collision business has its share of grinches. And it turns out it has a few Santas as well.

And thanks to a trio of caring St. Nicks, Vincent McCarthy is down on his luck no more.

A few days ago, our headline had read "No truck and no luck." The 63-year-old had lost his job, then his home and finally his truck holding some of his most precious possessions -- a file cabinet filled with artwork and cards from his kids.

It's been a string of misfortunes for the charming, guitar-playing former truck driver born in New Brunswick.

A recovering alcoholic of more than 30 years, he blames losing his driving job on his recently diagnosed sleep apnea. He'd also worked as a mover but business was slow. So he fell behind on his mortgage payments and last month, his Etobicoke house was repossessed.

He was forced to scatter his furniture and other possessions in different spots, including a storage locker and his 1995 Chevy cube van. With nowhere to go, he even slept in the truck for a few nights while parked in his old driveway until the mortgage company told him to move it -- or they would.

"I was a basket case," recalls McCarthy, who suffers from depression and what his doctor now suspects is bipolar disorder.

Of the divorced dad's five children, three are too young to help and the two older ones have serious troubles of their own. With nowhere else to turn, he finally parked his truck on a dead-end side street in Etobicoke while he went to live in a homeless shelter in Brampton.

"It was wishful thinking," concedes McCarthy of his hopes that he could leave the old Chevy there until he found somewhere to live.

Not surprisingly, after three parking tickets, Toronto Police had Bill & Son Towing haul it away on Nov. 27. And in their Atlas Ave. yard it sat for almost three weeks, racking up $72 a day in storage fees plus a $325 towing charge because the homeless man had no money to bail it out.

With the outrageous bill quickly approaching $2,000, McCarthy had gone in to tell the tow company of his string of bad luck, but theywere unmoved. Even when he asked only to remove his personal belongings from the back -- an old fridge, stove, the filing cabinet filled with memories -- he was told to hit the road. They told him that after 60 days, the truck and everything in it would be sold to cover what he owed.

It was only after Councillor Rob Ford got involved and the Toronto Sun showed up that Bill & Son Towing agreed to let McCarthy take his possessions -- but they still refused to waive one penny on towing and storing his cube van.

"It burns me up when I hear stuff like this," said Ford, who had planned to go down with McCarthy to confront the tow company tomorrow. "He's in a shelter, he has nobody, he has nothing and these guys are giving him the screws."

When the story appeared here Thursday, a woman in the industry -- too afraid to have her real name used -- called to say she was outraged. "This is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen," said "Susan."

She contacted friends in the business and they agreed something had to be done. By 7:15 that morning, as McCarthy was eating his cornflakes at the Salvation Army shelter, he got a message that help was on its way.

He's been grinning ever since.

Robert Polillo had also read the story and the owner of Express Roadside Recovery admits he was not surprised that a tow company could be so heartless, "especially in our beautiful industry."

Polillo quickly volunteered to bail him out. "I was in a position to help him and my heart told me to help him."

Polillo, 42, sent one of his drivers to pick McCarthy up from the shelter, buy him breakfast and then take him to the impound yard to pay his bill of more than $1,700.

"I've been helped before and I wanted to pass it on," he explains modestly.

"Especially at this time of year, it was hard to swallow."

Susan then called Lorenzo D'Alessandro, one of the owners of 427 Collision, and he agreed to store McCarthy's truck until the homeless man finds some place to live. He also volunteered to help Polillo out with the hefty tow bill.

"He's been rescued for now," Susan says. "Hopefully we can get this guy back on his feet."

McCarthy met his three guardian angels in person yesterday and couldn't thank them enough. "I'm elated," he told them. "I've got to pinch myself that all of this is true."

McCarthy has also had help from members of his church, the owners of Little Bit of Home Pub and Grill on Lake Shore have offered to host a fundraiser for him in the new year and his former colleagues at Dufferin Concrete called to tell him they were getting a collection together for him.

In the meantime, he's busking around the Kipling subway station singing Christmas carols and hoping to have his Ontario Works application approved next week so he can get some rent money and move out of the shelter.

"I never dreamed this would happen because of the article," says the grateful McCarthy. "It's going to be a terrific holiday after all."

And I hope it is for all of you as well.

READ MANDEL EVERY SUNDAY, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. MICHELE.MANDEL@SUNMEDIA.CA OR 416-947-2231.

Everyday Tow Heroes In IL

Kudos to Patrick Winer of Worldwide Equipment Sales and all the towers who took part in this, coming to the rescue of needy kids! Here's the www.wsbt.com story:

ELKHART – At first glance, it looked like a full-blown emergency on Main Street in Elkhart Saturday morning, but it was actually a rescue. Tow truck operators from the Chicago area joined with their local brethren to donate toys to needy area children

“I love to see all the tow trucks coming together. It gave me the tingles. It really did,” explained Brittany Mast. Mast is an employee of Tom’s 24-Hour Towing in the Elkhart area.

Tow truck operators and their families joined with Elkhart firefighters to load the toys onto trailers destined for the Tolson Center, Salvation Army and Faith Mission.

“Happy holidays,” was the greeting that many of the relief agencies greeted the donors with as they gratefully accepted hundreds of toys.

The Tow Trucks for Tots concept is the brainchild of Patrick Winer, who owns Worldwide Equipment Sales. The company sells tow trucks. It’s based out of Chicago, but this year the drivers didn’t need a star to lead them east.

“We had some extra toys this year, and we thought ‘What can we do with them?’” Winer said. He says since Elkhart had such high unemployment, he wanted to bring the toys here. He hopes other businesses will follow his lead and make similar donations.

So why tow trucks? In this Economy, many of these drivers play a role in repos. They want people to know they are more like Santa than the Grinch.
“Yeah, usually people don’t like us. They say we steal their cars. We do have a bad image, so we’re trying to change that with this stuff,” said Tony West. He was driving a truck labeled “60 Ton Tator.” He got up at 3 a.m. on Saturday to make the trek to Elkhart with the toys.

Councilman Arvis Dawson gave the tow truck drivers a proclamation from the city on behalf of Mayor Dick Moore.

“I want all the kids to know this is want an angel looks like,” dawson said.
Charlotte Applewhite is the director of Tolson Center.

“The need has tripled. We get calls daily,” she said.

The Tolson Center will distribute the toys it received on December 23 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on a first come, first serve basis.

Holiday Wishes From All of Us At Towing & Recovery Footnotes!

*Cartoon by Tow Canada writer John Crossen

Proposals For Wrecker Law In Fayetteville, NC Include Online Towing Reports

Here's the Fayetteville Observer story:

Drivers whose cars are towed often call the Fayetteville Police Department to find out what happened to their vehicles.

Often, police have no clue.

The department wants to change that by requiring towing operators to report electronically where vehicles are towed. Anyone with Web access, including the Police Department, could then quickly find information about vehicles towed from accident scenes, roadsides or private property.

Electronic reporting is one of several proposals the Police Department is pushing in the first major overhaul to the city's wrecker ordinance since it was adopted in the 1960s.

Other proposals include banning tow-truck drivers with felony records, requiring additional driver training and making towing companies have at least one medium-sized truck in their fleets to handle larger vehicles.

Police Sgt. Eric Dow, who is overseeing the proposed changes, said the department wants to simplify things for residents and help make the towing industry more professional.

The City Council was prepared to vote on the changes last month when members of the Cumberland County Wrecker Owners Association raised several concerns. The council agreed to have the city's wrecker review board discuss the proposals and consider recommendations from the association's lawyer, Michael McGovern of Knoxville, Tenn.

Mayor Tony Chavonne said the city needs to update the wrecker ordinance, but he wanted to give towing companies one more chance for input.

The wrecker review board met Tuesday and covered several of the proposals, including electronic reporting. The board plans to meet once more before the revised ordinance goes back to the City Council in January.

Electronic reporting would require towing operators to buy laptops or smart phones with Internet access, if they haven't already. They would be required to log information about vehicles they tow by using free, Web-based software accessible to the public. They would have to input the information within an hour after a tow during the day, or by 9 a.m. the next business day if the tow is after 5 p.m.

Some wrecker companies object to the electronic reporting. But Councilman Bill Crisp told the wrecker review board that he supports the requirement. He said the Internet "is here to stay, and you will have a year to come into compliance. We need an electronic system of reporting and handling these calls."

Dow said the Police Department has a rotation list with 34 towing companies that are summoned for accidents, abandoned vehicles and other situations. More than 7,000 vehicles are towed each year from this list. He said police don't always know immediately where vehicles are taken.

Many vehicles in the city are towed from private property without a police call. The proposed electronic reporting requirement would apply in those situations, too, Dow said.

He said about half the companies on the rotation already use electronic reporting. The Police Department's Web site has a link to the electronic reports.

The rest of the proposed changes to the ordinance would apply only to towing companies on the police rotation list.

Mark Norton, a towing operator who is on the wrecker review board, said some opposition to the changes can't be helped.

"But we have to work with the Police Department," he said. "The goal is we want to be professionals."

Predatory Towing Legislation Moving Forward In Tampa

Here's the Tampa Bay Online story:

TAMPA - Legislation designed to crack down on rogue towing companies who prey on motorists in Tampa and Hillsborough County is headed for Tallahassee.

Hillsborough County lawmakers today gave a nod to a bill that would give the county's Public Transportation Commission enforcement powers over towing companies that target cars on private business property without the owner's written permission.

Victor DiMaio, a lobbyist for the commission, said the panel has received numerous complaints about towing companies patrolling neighborhoods for cars parked outside restaurants and other businesses, shaking down motorists for hefty towing charges.

He said law enforcement agencies are too overwhelmed to deal with the problem.

Approval of the measure by the 16-member delegation means it will be submitted for consideration by the state House and Senate in the upcoming legislative session. The legislation was offered in this year's session, but never made it to the floor for a vote.

Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, a frequent critic of the transportation commission from her time as a county commissioner, cast the lone dissenting vote against it, which was sponsored by State Rep. Rich Glorioso, R-Plant City and Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa.

The towing legislation was one of several local bills approved by the delegation during its annual organization meeting today at the University of South Florida's Tampa campus.

Another bill – which was also given a nod by the delegation – sponsored by Storms and Glorioso, would to make it easier for citizens to challenge the rules of the transportation commission by giving the state more regulatory authority over its rulings and policies.

The legislation delegation also approved a bill to make changes to Tampa's pension plan system for general employees so that it complies with all federal regulations.

State Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, who is sponsoring the bill, said it also empowers the Tampa City Council to alter the plan to conform to future changes of federal law.

If the bill doesn't pass, the city could face fines from federal regulators, City Attorney Chip Fletcher said. The bill, he said, would not alter benefits or contribution levels.

Another bill sponsored by Joyner would make it easier for Tampa's firefighters and police officers to decide where a portion of their pension contributions is invested.

"This gives employees an opportunity to choose less risky investments," Fletcher said.

Those proposed changes must still be approved by the city's police and fire unions.

Sad News From TN

Here's the story from The Tennessean:

Metro police investigators say speed and rainy weather were factors in a deadly crash on Friday near Cane Ridge High School.

The crash, involving a Bailey's Wrecker Service flatbed and a Toyota Yaris, occurred at about 11:30 a.m. The driver of the Yaris, a 59-year-old Antioch woman, died at the scene. Police are not releasing her name pending notification to her family.

The driver of the wrecker, Randall Hall, 40, of Hendersonville, was not injured in the crash.

Police say Hall may have been driving too fast in rainy conditions when he lost control of the wrecker, crossed into oncoming traffic, hit a rock wall and then rotated back onto the pavement, where the wrecker was rear-ended by the Toyota.

— NICOLE YOUNG
THE TENNESSEAN

FL Tow Truck Driver Crashes Into Store

Here's the WSVN-TV story:

NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A South Florida business is devastated by an out of control tow truck.

Police said the driver of the tow truck fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a kitchen and bath store Thursday along Northeast 111th Street and Biscayne Boulevard.

The accident caused about $100,000 worth of damage. "This is a catastrophe for our business it really couldn't be any worse," said Simone Mayer, owner of Real.life.Basic. "You hope that this will never happen, but really it could have been so much worse. As bad as it is, it could've been worse."

The tow truck driver was arrested on an existing traffic violation.

The business was deemed unsafe and has since been shut down.

VancouverTow Companies Also Getting Ready For Olympics

Here's the News1130 story:

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - With the Olympics on the way Vancouver towing companies have to prepare for the extra work load. And while it's the city that writes the tickets, it's the tow trucks that do the dirty work. There will be more cars on the road, more areas closed off and more anticipated breakdowns. Buses carrying athletes, spectators and dignitaries will also be crowding Vancouver streets in the months to come.

Vern Campbell of Buster's Towing in Vancouver says they have been making preparations in anticipation of the extra work. Campbell says that because so many zones will be closed, until people get used to it there will be an increase in work load.

Buster's will be assigning double the number of trucks to the road and have contracted with friends in the business to supplement the number of trucks should the need arise. And what happens if one of those buses carrying athletes or spectators breaks down? Campbell says Buster's has double tandem axel trucks that haul large buses at the ready.

But if you want to avoid being towed its simple; pay attention to the signs.

Not A Day Off In 40 Years For IL Tower

How many of you feel this way? Here's the Kankakee Daily Journal story:

Working on Christmas Day is really no big deal for George Mosier, of Bradley.

"I don't think I've taken a whole day off in 40 years," he said. "That's not the way the towing business works."

So, the 54-year-old tow truck driver expects at least six calls each on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. (Yes, he started at 14, with an old hand-crank system on the back of a pickup.)

"Usually, it's something careless, like people getting locked out of their car or leaving the lights on and running down the battery. But bad weather can change everything."

Cool Post by Airport Towing - '66 Ford Nearly Restored

“B-Unit” #83 is a tribute to Brian Storer. The lean, mean, Ford racing machine is being restored for one reason: It was Brian Storer’s dream to revive this this truck and make it his own.

Farewell, Friend

Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of Donald P. Head of Cotati, CA. Here's the
otati resident Donald B. Head spent most of his life driving trucks, even after he and his wife purchased a Cotati bar more than four decades ago. Here's the story from the Press Democrat.

Click to enlarge

Donald B. Head

Head died Tuesday at his home after a long battle with cancer. He was 75.

Head spent many years driving big rigs, including his own truck. Even as the owner of the Cotati Beer Gardens, he regularly drove a special wrecker for Andreoli Trucking that could tow tractor trailer rigs.

“He drove the tow truck until he was 72,” said his wife of 47 years, Joan Head.

Born in Eureka, Head grew up in Oakland and Richmond. His father drove trucks for West Transportation, a company the son eventually also worked for.

Head served in the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division during the Korean War.

He came to Cotati about 40 years ago. In the early 1970s his wife and he purchased a bar and renamed it to the Cotati Beer Gardens. They owned it until the late 1980s.

Family members described Head as strong and independent, someone who enjoyed people but also could work alongside police to handle an unruly bar patron.

“He was such a man’s man,” said his daughter, Danise Head of Cotati.

But he also enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren. And Joan Head said he raised her son Everett Wicker as his own from the time the boy was 2-years-old. Wicker died in 1996.

Head was a member of Berean Baptist Church in Rohnert Park. With his family, he belonged to the Rancho Riders horse club.

Along with his wife and daughter, survivors include another daughter, Ladona Rossiter of Cotati, a sister, Marilyn Cramlett of Hercules; a brother, Robert Head of Mississippi; and eight grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Dec. 12 at Berean Baptist Church.

The family prefers memorial contributions in care of the church to the Berean Baptist Christian Academy.

— Robert Digitale