Farewell, Friend

Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of Bill Sparr, owner of Sparr's Towing in Missoula, MT for more than 40 years. The 61-year-old passed away on Feb. 18 in his home from natural causes.
Here's the story from www.keci.com about the processional that honored him:

Today, friends, family and peers honored a big name in the Montana tow truck industry.

About 20 tow truck drivers from Butte, Great Falls, Missoula and Kalispell drove in a processional down Russell Street to honor Bill Sparr.

The 61-year-old ran Sparr’s Towing for over four decades in Missoula.

The Montana Tow Truck Association organized the processional. Sparr’s father was one of the original founders.

And Bill Sparr helped write the Tow Truck Act, which outlines basic rules for towing in Montana.

AZ 'Move Over' Amendment Moves Ahead

Thumbs up to AZ lawmakers! Here's the www.kpho.com story:

PHOENIX -- A bill designed to protect tow truck drivers and stranded motorists unanimously cleared the Arizona Senate on Monday with a 30-0 vote.The Roadside Safety Assistance Act, SB 138, aims to amend Arizona's current "Move Over" law to include tow truck drivers and highway maintenance operators as well as the motorists they're assisting.Under the current Move Over law, drivers are required to either move to the next lane over or slow down considerably when passing emergency vehiclesThe bill is sponsored by Sen. John Nelson, R-District 12. It now heads to the state House of Representatives. flashing lights.

CA Towing Receptionist Arrested On Suspicion Of Embezzlement

Here's the Appeal-Democrat story:

A Yuba City towing company employee has been arrested on suspicion of embezzling more than $30,000, according to Yuba City police.

Terri Elizabeth Aguilar, 41, a receptionist at Sanchez Truck Repair and Towing, 20 Wilbur Ave., was arrested Monday afternoon at the company after writing checks to herself totaling $30,352 since May 2008, said police spokeswoman Shawna Pavey.

Aguilar admitted the theft after owner Richard Sanchez noticed an "odd" check and began going through records, Pavey said.

Aguilar was not in custody Tuesday. She is scheduled to be arraigned March 22 in Sutter County Superior Court.

Guilty Plea Entered By Man Who Killed CA Tow Truck Driver In 2008

Tow truck driver Gregory Gerbing died in 2008 after being struck on the side of the road. Here's a 2009 story posted on TowBlog.

Here's the recent Press-Enterprise story on the man who killed him:

Moreno Valley man is expected to be sentenced to 10 years in prison for a drunken driving crash that killed a tow-truck driver.

Oswaldo Lopez, 31, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of DUI gross-vehicular manslaughter in the 2008 death of Gregory Gerbing, 41.

Lopez was originally charged with murder after he crashed his pickup into Gerbing's tow truck on the shoulder of Interstate 215 at the Highway 60 interchange near Box Springs Road.

Gerbing, who worked for Perris-based Smedley Towing, was kneeling on the shoulder of southbound I-215 while clearing an overturned vehicle shortly after midnight. CHP officers were with him when the crash occurred.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors plan to dismiss the murder charge and three other DUI-related felonies when Lopez is sentenced. His sentencing is scheduled for March 10.

Lopez's attorney, Souley Diallo, said his client wanted to plead guilty to the manslaughter charge earlier, but the murder charge was a sticking point.

The plea agreement reached Friday would give Lopez the maximum sentence possible for the manslaughter charge.

The CHP recommended the murder charge because Lopez is a repeat offender. Lopez was convicted of DUI in December 2007, and his license was reinstated just two months before the deadly crash.

Close Call In CO

Here's the story from www.krdo.com:

COLORADO SPRINGS - A Springs Tow Truck Driver says he was in a hit and run accident involving a military vehicle. Kim Parsons says he was startled after a truck he was trying to hook up was side swiped, "I crawled up to the front I crawled underneath put my safety chains on and as I was doing that I heard a scraping noise on the side of this vehicle."

When Kim got out from under the truck he says, "I saw a military Hemet speeding away he didn't even slow down or get over when he saw the vehicle." The damage to the truck Kim was towing is estimated around a thousand dollars. Kim says he's shocked a military vehicle hit him and ran off, "I would have thought he would have known better, they stress safety in the military."

Kim says the person responsible has been caught and says the National Guard admits to his company one of their trucks was involved he says, "where I was located at he could have easily killed me."

We went to the Colorado Springs Armory, but were told no one there could speak with us regarding this matter. We did hear a Major with the Guard tell the Operations Manager of the tow truck company that "he would do everything possible to make this situation right." We talked with a public affairs officer from the guard who tells us they are investigating the situation.

CSA 2010 Worries Some In Trucking Industry

In an early February story from “Transport Topics,” fleet executives and trucking industry watchers have expressed concern about the new Comprehensive Safety Analysis program or CSA 2010.

The program, a federal safety monitoring and rating system for motor carriers, was designed to take the place of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SafeStat system. Part of CSA 2010 is based on regularly updated information that is provided by electronic onboard recorders, which keep track of drivers’ hours of service. Other parts will be based on drivers' violations.

According to the story,

CSA 2010 sorts safety violations into seven categories — which FMCSA calls BASICS — that cover drivers and equipment. They are: unsafe driving, fatigued driving, driver fitness, drug and alcohol use, cargo securement failures, vehicle defects and crashes.

Unlike the current SafeStat program, which assigns safety ratings based on infrequent compliance reviews by federal auditors, the Department of Transportation’s CSA 2010 program will base safety ratings on carriers’ on-highway performance.

In contrast with SafeStat ratings, which can remain static for years, FMCSA has said that CSA 2010 ratings will be updated monthly to reflect enforcement actions and inspections by local and state law enforcement agencies.

In another departure from the current system, drivers’ violations will affect a carrier’s overall rating.

CSA 2010 is currently being tested by fleets in nine states, with nationwide rollout slated to begin in July and conclude by Dec. 31, according to DOT.

Opponents also cited implementation and the cost of the technology as a problem for some cash-strapped truckers. However, the overall safety goals of CSA 2010 are supported by the American Trucking Association. Read more industry views at http://www.ttnews.com/. Click here to learn more about CSA 2010.

NY Town Weighs Tow Truck Access Law

Here's the story from the Poughkeepsie Journal:

HYDE PARK — The town plans to restrict the arrival of tow truck operators at crash scenes to ensure ambulances and police have sufficient access.

At the request of Hyde Park police Chief Don Goddard, the town has drafted a proposal to establish a rotational tow list. Except for the tow truck dispatched or requested, no others would be permitted within 300 feet of a traffic accident.

"Let us do our jobs," Goddard said.

The proposed regulations have raised objections from tow truck operators in Hyde Park. Some say they frequently perform valuable services at accident scenes before ambulances and police arrive — such as assisting injured or trapped victims and directing traffic — which the 300-foot buffer zone would prevent.

"Three-hundred feet is a long way to yell if you need help," tow truck operator Tim Burns of Hyde Park said. "We should be at hand's reach if they need us."

Hyde Park is not the first town to consider such a restriction. The Town of Poughkeepsie has a policy that establishes a tow list and restricts trucks not at the top of the list from entering a zone around the accident scene.

"It seems to work fairly well," said Poughkeepsie Councilman Todd Tancredi, R-6th Ward.

Hyde Park board members say it has been the practice of some tow truck operators to monitor police radio transmissions and rush to accident scenes with the intent of getting the job towing the disabled vehicles and possibly any repair work.

The arrival of multiple tow trucks at times has hampered the efforts of rescue personnel and impeded police investigations, police said.

"Our only goal is to get the accident scene cleared as soon as possible," Horan said.

Bill Steenbergh, chief of the Roosevelt Fire Department, said while most tow truck operators are more of a help than a hindrance at accident scenes, a law is needed to regulate the few who create access problems.

"The majority of the tow truck drivers have been cooperative," he said. "There are a few bad apples."

The fire chief chided the town board at its workshop meeting for not including the input of any local fire departments in drafting the towing law.

In many cases, fire department rescue squads are the first medical providers at accident scenes. Firefighters also play vital roles in extricating victims trapped in cars at crash scenes, he said.

"It seems like the biggest part of this hasn't been brought into the discussion," Steenbergh said.

Town Supervisor Tom Martino said an upcoming public hearing on the proposed regulations will provide opportunities for input that could lead to changes in law.

"Don't take this as written in stone," he said.

Goddard expressed frustration with the time it's taken for the town to enact a tow list policy. The previous Democratic administration began work last year on a law that drew objections from town truck operators and some residents. The newly elected GOP board drafted a new version of the law in January.

"This has been going on for a year," Goddard said. "It took Thomas Jefferson 17 days to write the Declaration of Independence."

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Update on NE Tower Hit On Sunday

Here's the story from www.ketv.com:

The owner of a tow truck company thought his coworker and friend was dead after being struck by a car on Sunday near Fremont. It now appears Henry Chillingworth, 64, is going to recover.Mike Stolley and Chillingworth were trying to tow a car near Highway 275 and Highway 36 when the driver of a car lost control in near white-out conditions and came right at them. Stolley was thrown to the ground while Chillingworth took a direct hit.“Just at the time I went and got the chain, here comes this car and Henry saw it coming. He tried to jump out of the way,” Stolley said. “I got out and went back to see how everyone was and I seen Henry laying there and thought, ‘Oh my God.’”Stolley said a snow bank may have saved his friend’s life.“Landing in the snow, it was like a big pillow,” he said.The driver of the car, Brandon O’Meara, told investigators he saw the emergency lights on Stolley’s tow truck, but visibility was so bad he didn’t see them in time. O’Meara later went to Chillingworth’s home to personally apologize.Friends said Chillingworth has undergone several tests. They said he’s doing fine, other than being extremely sore.

VA Residents Praise "Snow Heroes" - Including Towers!

Here's the story from www.wjla.com:

FALLS CHURCH, Va. - Many people helped us survive the recent snow storms. Some might even call them "snow angels." While the people we talked to Friday joked they wouldn't call themselves heroes, others have called them that.

Billy Vinson with Henry's Wrecker Service has been someone's savior more times than he can count this week. He has pulled cars, trucks, just about anything on wheels, out of some tough spots.

"I think they were pretty relieved to see a tow truck and the fact that we're still getting around they were worried nobody would get to themEven during the worst of the storm when we were told to stay off the roads, he and the rest of Henry's Wreckers rushed to 100 calls.

"You get about 2,3 hours sleep and you're back out again," he shared.

A very tired Vince Cesnauskas has gotten his fare share of thanks, too. Afterall, some might not be able find their cars if it were not for him.

"It takes about like two, maybe a one, and it takes them two, three hours," said Cesnauskas, who operates a front-end loader.

It's these resilient roamers who made a disastrous situation less daunting. They include power crews who are getting the lights back on and plow truck drivers who are making roads passable.

When any true emergencies did arise, Nurse Vanessa Johnson was practically living in the emergency room. It was three-and-a-half days before she finally headed home.

"We're here for the community. This is what we do," stated Johnson. "This is what we signed up for when we went into healthcare."

The power companies shared with us Friday some emails they received from customers who thanked them profusely for promptly fixing any outages. One wrote: "Just like the mailman, your service is taken for granted till it's not available. Thank you for your hard work."

Ex-Employees Come Forward Against MI Towing Co

Here's the story from Newschannel 3 in Kalamazoo, MI:

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – New accusations continue to emerge against a local towing company. Students say T&J Towing is breaking the law and ripping them off. Now, the company's former employees are coming forward and saying, yes, the company is. On Thursday night, the owner of T&J Towing sat down and talked exclusively to Newschannel 3, taking on the accusations. He says everything he does is legal, and now the claims that he's not towing the line are sparking legal action. Since Newschannel 3's story aired on Thursday evening, Arboretum Apartments have eliminated T&J Towing's services, something T&J's owner feels is a direct result of publicity created by the facebook page created by Justin Kurtz. For that reason, T&J and its attorney says they are suing Kurtz for slander / defamation of character and loss of income. Newschannel 3 has not been able to get in touch with Kurtz, but many more people have come forward backing his claims. In addition to four facebook pages with nearly 2,000 members who are anti-T&J, former employees are coming forward to speak against the company. “How often were you told to do things you felt were wrong?” Newschannel 3 asked one T&J employee who wishes to remain anonymous. “About 80 percent of the time,” said the employee. On Friday, Newschannel 3 spoke with two former employees of T&J, both of whom did not want to be identified, saying they fear their former boss, Joe Bird. “Because he's vengeful,” said one employee. “If he finds out who we are he'll most likely have us messed with.” That employee says that one of the most common and potentially damaging claims against T&J to be found in the facebook postings, regarding stealing or moving parking permits, is true. “They have what is called a reach across bar and a wedge, you stick it in the door and you just maneuver the bar in and you knock whatever it is off the window and the car's yours,” said the employee. “I've seen a couple drivers do it.” The employee also says the boss knew about the practice. “He'd laugh about it and say do it as much as possible,” said the employee. Another former employee says part of the reason for cutting corners and even breaking laws was a strict quota. “Generally Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays it was fifteen cars a night,” said that employee. The other ex-employee Newschannel 3 spoke with said that if the quota wasn't met, payday was delayed or worse. That employee said he had about $200 a week held back from his paychecks. The former employees even claim that the pay was illegal and under the table. “He was gypping me on pay because all of his under the table checks were handwritten,' said the former employee. “Banks wouldn't even cash them cause every time they would they'd bounce.” The claims are shocking, but there is one problem with all of them. “Is there any proof you actually have?” asked Newschannel 3. “No, no proof,” said the former employee. Newschannel 3 spoke again with T&J's owner Joe Bird on Friday night, and even though he doesn't know who the men we spoke with are, he claims they're just disgruntled employees badmouthing his business. Bird also says that threats of violence have begun appearing on the facebook pages that stand against his business. Bird says he now fears for his family's well being. Newschannel 3 will continue to dig into this story.

One Garage, 63 Years & 3 Generations - So Far

Nice profile of this VA tower and family! Here's the story from Fredricksburg.com:

BY CATHY JETT

Heflin's Garage was a busy spot after it opened on a largely undeveloped stretch of State Route 3 in 1947.

It was one of the few places where tourists headed to the Northern Neck for the weekend could refuel, get their car repaired or ask for a tow.

"That's where I learned everything," said Thad Heflin III, who grew up helping his dad and now runs the family business with help from his son, Thad Heflin IV. "The only gas stations were my father's and Henderson's Grocery down below us. That was it."

Today Heflin's, which moved to Warrenton Road in 1960 when it was displaced by the Blue and Gray Parkway bridge, is the ninth-oldest towing and repair business in Virginia, according to the Virginia Association of Towing & Recovery Operators. It's also among the oldest ones in the country, and is likely to remain so.

"Eventually it will be my turn and privilege to run the family business," said Thad Heflin IV, who has continued family tradition by naming his infant son Thaddeus M. Heflin V.

But all of that lay in the future when Thad Heflin Jr., who'd dropped out of school in the sixth grade to work on nearby farms, came home after World War II looking for work.

He'd learned about motors by watching his father and as an Army Air Corps mechanic working on planes in Australia and the Philippines. He soon landed a job as a mechanic at Beck's Chevrolet on Princess Anne Street, and eventually went into business for himself by opening Heflin's near the farm where he'd grown up.

The business had a two-stall garage at first, plus a convenience store with a snack bar. Later additions included two larger stalls, one for grease jobs and one for trucks. All the towing was done with wreckers Heflin designed and built himself.

"Nowadays you can buy a tow truck for $50,000 to $100,000," said Bobby Burgess, a competitor who ran what's now Interstate Service Center on U.S. 17. "Back then, you made your trucks. You got the body and the winch and the booms, and you had to know welding, how strong it would be."

Burgess remembers Heflin, who died in 1992, as "an icon" in the community, a hard but fair man who earned the respect of everyone who knew him.

"You had to be hard back then," he said. "You get a tractor-trailer turned over, you had to go down there and get with it. You had to get up in the middle of the night in snow or sleet for hours at a time. In the wintertime, he'd work all night long. I've seen him look like death warmed over, come back and sit for a while and then go back out."

But Heflin, never one to show emotion, also had a softer side, said Ed Steckler, who used to work for him in the 1960s and now lives in Fernandina Beach, Fla.

"He gave me a job running wreckers, pumping gas and working on cars when no one else would," said Steckler, who admitted to being "wild" when he was younger. "I didn't have a vehicle, and he found me a '55 Chevy in Triangle. He said to work on it at night, and that's what I did. He taught me a lot. He was a super guy. I probably looked at him as a father figure."

Heflin also found time to be a life member of the Fredericksburg Rescue Squad and Falmouth Fire Department. Thad Heflin III, who was put on his father's payroll when he was 15, said they used to work at some horrible accident scenes until rescue squads began using the Jaws of Life to free people who'd been trapped.

"My father got a lifesaving award for [helping to free the driver] of a tractor-trailer that turned over in Opal," he said. "I took our Mac wrecker. I swung the boom out so my father could go into the truck. The driver's boot had caught around the clutch pedal. We did a lot of that."

Other memorable jobs include being called in to pull a train back onto the tracks near Lafayette Boulevard, and floating a wrecker on a barge in the city reservoir so it could lower a replacement valve to a Navy diver.

Over the years, the Heflins--father, son and grandson--have seen the car repair and wrecker business become more and more technical and specialized. Cars are increasingly computerized, and wreckers now use sophisticated underlifts that barely touch a car at all.

"You have to change with the times," said Thad Heflin III, who buys all of his wreckers. "My father did it, and I try to carry it on."

Cathy Jett: 540/374-5407
Email: cjett@freelancestar.com

Current, Former Employees Sue AAA Carolinas

Here's the story from the Winston-Salem Journal:

CHARLOTTE

Former and current employees have sued AAA Carolinas, claiming that the travel organization discriminated against them based on race and sex.

Brendan Byrnes, a spokesman for AAA Carolinas, said yesterday that the company denies all the allegations and is prepared to fight them.

The employees who filed the lawsuit work or worked at AAA's car- care and towing services in Charlotte.

Trevor Fuller, an attorney for the employees, said that most had filed complaints first with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the EEOC issued a "right to sue" notice.

Byrnes said that AAA is aware of the complaints filed with the EEOC.

"AAA vehemently denies any such allegations, and we'll fight them in court," he said.

In the lawsuit, the workers say that less-qualified white workers were promoted over experienced black employees and that substantial pay gaps between black and white workers existed.

"AAA has used the dues collected from its members to perpetuate a regime of blatant and totalitarian racial discrimination, where complaints and resistance are not tolerated," the lawsuit says.

The employees allege that they were retaliated against if they complained about supervisor behavior.

One former employee, Eric Greene, said in the lawsuit that his car was stolen and "burnt to a crisp" after he made several complaints of discrimination.

"Defendants made clear that racial-discrimination complaints were not to be tolerated, and they reinforced this status quo through intimidation and retaliation," the lawsuit says.

In Greene's case, the lawsuit says that he was demoted after complaining in June 2008 about racial harassment by his boss.

When he filed a complaint with the EEOC, the lawsuit says that he was denied a quarterly bonus unless he withdrew the complaint.

Instead, Greene filed a second charge with EEOC that, the lawsuit says, led to a threatening letter, written anonymously and filled with profanity and a racial slur.

Greene reported the letter to AAA and met with an attorney in September 2008.

The lawsuit claims that his car was stolen later that day and when police found it, it had been set on fire. Greene was fired the next day.

One of the women participating in the lawsuit claims that another female employee was fired just days after being fondled by a company vice president.

According to the suit, the employees want the company to be forced to give black employees a chance to compete for better work and pay and to assign black workers to positions they would have attained if not for racial discrimination.

Click here to read another story from the Charlotte Observer.

NE Tow Truck Driver Struck, Injured

Best wishes for a quick recovery to 64-year-old tow truck driver Henry Chillsworth of Mike's Towing who was struck on Sunday while working to pull a car from a ditch in Omaha, NE. Here's the story from www.ketv.com:

A few hours of flurries and blowing snow Sunday led to a number of accidents on metro roads.Paramedics and Douglas County sheriff's deputies responded to an accident at Pawnee Road and Highway 275 around 1 p.m.An investigator at the scene said a van struck a tow truck driver who was pulling cars out of the ditch. Employees at Mike's Towing named the victim as Henry Chillsworth, 64. A medical helicopter crew flew Chillsworth to the Nebraska Medical Center in critical condition. He had been upgraded to fair condition by Sunday night.Two hours later, a sheriff's deputy working the scene was in his cruiser when another vehicle hit him. Paramedics took the deputy to Lakeside Hospital with minor injuries possibly involving his neck. Officials said the deputy would be fine.The Dodge County sheriff's office is advising people to stay off of Highway 30. Deputies responded to multi-car accidents in two different spots as of early Sunday afternoon. Both happened on Highway 30Deputies said white out conditions and drifting snow led to the accidents. They added people are abandoning vehicles on the highway because they can't see.Near Beatrice, blowing snow contributed to a 14-vehicle pileup on state Highway 4 that sent six people to the hospital. Rescue crews also responded to an accident on Interstate 80 near 13th Street in Omaha. Three vehicles appeared to be involved in the crash, including a semi, a car and a minivan.The car appeared mangled between the semi and the cement median. Paramedics used the jaws of life to pull one person from the car; that person was taken to a hospital with severe injuries. Electronic boards in the area advised drivers to take alternate routes as crews cleaned up the accident.Omaha Police are no longer responding to accidents unless injuries are involved.

Gone Fishin' In MS

Here's the story from The Commercial Dispatch:

STARKVILLE — Dozens of Oktibbeha County residents gathered Tuesday morning at the intersection of Highway 82 and Douglastown Road with their coolers in tow as work crews cleaned up the remains of an overturned catfish truck in the median.

Bill Baker, of Eupora, was driving the B&B Farms truck westbound on Highway 82 shortly after 6 a.m. when he lost control, went into the median and hit a culvert. The overturned truck spilled thousands of catfish throughout the muddy area between the eastbound and westbound lanes.

Residents from nearby homes showed up with their coolers while police and emergency personnel responded to the scene. Dozens of people left with coolers full of fish before Mississippi Highway Patrol troopers made residents leave the median so workers from the Mississippi Department of Transportation and Starkville-based Bulldog Towing could clear the scene.

Baker suffered a contusion to his head and a cut to his back, was treated at North Mississippi Medical Center in Eupora, and returned to the site a short time later. He said he wasn't sure what caused him to veer off the highway, but does remember feeling alarmed as his truck headed into the median.

"I remember seeing that hole right there," Baker said looking down at the culvert and the remains of his load. "It will make you have a conversation with the good Lord."

Baker, who said he was still "a little dazed" three hours after the crash, was just glad nobody else was injured in the wreck.

Meanwhile, employees from Bulldog Towing pulled the truck from the rain-soaked median and MDOT workers removed catfish from the overturned containers, then tossed them into coolers, trash cans and other bins. Many of the fish were still alive.

Stewart Teague, owner of Bulldog Towing, said his company was been giving away the salvaged catfish to some of the responders at the scene, local firefighters, businesses and friends, "so they don't go to waste." He didn't mind letting local residents gather fish from the median for their own families.

"It was unbelievable how much they got," Teague said.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, Highway Patrol Public Affairs Officer Brian Mobley said.

Mobley and other Highway Patrol troopers were directing traffic past the wreck Tuesday morning via one eastbound and one westbound lane. The Department of Environmental Quality also sent workers to clean up the fuel spill at the scene.

Tim Pratt is the Starkville Bureau Reporter for The Commercial Dispatch.

San Antonio Suspends Another Towing Company

Here's the story from www.woai.com:

SAN ANTONIO -- The City of San Antonio has suspended another towing company for not helping drivers fast enough.

City officials say Associated Towing Service, which takes calls on the Northwest Side, was suspended for 20 days because it was not getting the job done within the 30 minutes allowed.

"You have motorists stranded on the highway, and that's a dangerous situation," explained San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus. "And you also have police officers who remain out of service until those wreckers get there. So, we have to have that 30-minute response time or less."

This is the second time since October that a city towing contractor has been punished.

News 4 WOAI spoke to the head of Associated Towing, who said the problems have been fixed. The company does not disagree with the suspension and will get back to work once it is lifted.

PA Tow Truck Driver Killed On Side of Road By Semi

Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of 39-year-old tow truck driver Michael T. Pegg, who worked for Weavertown Towing Garage Services in Hunker, PA. He was killed on Sunday, 2/7, while working a crash scene on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Here's the story from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

A tow truck driver attending to a crash scene on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was struck and killed by an out-of-control tractor-trailer Sunday night in Mt. Pleasant Township.

Michael T. Pegg, 39, of Hempfield, an employee of Weavertown Towing Garage Services in Hunker, died at the scene of the accident in the westbound lanes of the turnpike, just 4.5 miles west of the Donegal Interchange, Westmoreland County Deputy Coroner Jerry Fritz said.

Pegg had been called to assist at an accident scene along the turnpike and was walking along the highway's berm when he was hit around 7:05 p.m., state police at New Stanton reported.

Valentine Blagoev, of Winchester, Va., was driving his tractor-trailer in the left westbound lane of the turnpike when he came upon traffic slowed for the accident, police said. Unable to stop, Blagoev struck three other vehicles before traveling onto the berm and striking Pegg.

Fritz pronounced Pegg dead at the scene. An autopsy scheduled for today will determine his cause of death.

Fritz said the roadway was dry at the time of the accident.

Sad News From CA

A CA mother and son were killed this weekend when their vehicle struck a tow truck retrieving a disabled vehicle from the side of the road. No word on whether the tow truck driver was injured. Here's the story from the Victorville Daily Press:

CAJON PASS • An Apple Valley woman and her son were killed in a Interstate 15 crash Saturday morning.

Their mini-van struck a stopped tow truck on the center divider, according to San Bernardino County San Bernardino Sheriff ’s Department officials.

Merced Molina was driving a 1999 Mercury Villager south on I-15, just north of Highway 138, with her husband and son when they struck the back of a tow truck that was attending to a disabled car.

Merced, 52, was pronounced dead on scene at 7:18 a.m., and her son Javier Molina Jr, 19, later died at Loma Linda University Medical Center at 1:36 p.m.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.

SC Tow Truck Driver Injured During Crash

Wishing a speedy recovery to 37-year-old tow truck driver Joseph Barentine. Here's the story from The Beaufort Gazette:

A tow truck overturned in the southbound lane of the Broad River Bridge after it struck a construction truck about 11:30 a.m. Monday, snarling S.C. 170 traffic in both directions, said S.C. Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Bob Beres.

Both drivers were taken by ambulance to Beaufort Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Beres said.

The tow-truck driver, Joseph Barentine, 37, of Beaufort, was admitted to the hospital. His condition was not released.

The construction-truck driver, David Green, 48, of Charleston, was treated and released.

Green's truck, a vehicle used to direct traffic with a large yellow arrow, was behind construction crews working on the bridge, Beres said. Barentine was ticketed for driving too fast for conditions, Beres said.

Emergency crews worked to clear the accident and examined evidence most of the afternoon. In the meantime, north- and southbound traffic shared the northbound side of the bridge until it was cleared. Both sides of the bridge reopened about 3 p.m., Beres said.

Cassie Foss

GA Tow Truck Driver Wounded During Robbery

Best wishes for a speedy recovery to tow truck driver Rashad Bakari Hunter of Moody's Wrecker Services. Bakari was shot in the back and hand on Sunday night (2/7).
Here's the story from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Police in College Park have released the name of the tow truck driver who was shot in an armed robbery early Sunday.

The victim was Rashad Bakari Hunter, Lt. Jose. Nevares, watch commander for the College Park Police Department, told the AJC.

Nevares said he could release no other information in the case, which is still under investigation.

WSB-TV reported on its Web site that family members of the victim said two armed robbers ambushed the driver after the company he worked for, Moody's Wrecker Services in College Park, got a call for a tow.

Nevares said the shooting occurred at 2200 Godby Rd.

When the driver arrived around 1 a.m., according to WSB-TV, a man told him to go behind an apartment complex to tow a car. When he got there, the news station reported, he was confronted by two men, one of whom pulled a gun. He fled, and was shot in the back and hand, WSB-TV reported.