TX Tow Truck Driver Finds Toddler & Infant Left In Car By Dad Who Went To Strip Club

And the "Dad of the Year" award goes to...
Here's the story from CBS 11:

When tow-truck driver John Young cruised into a dimly lit private lot across the street from a Northwest Dallas strip club Friday night, he didn't expect to see a small hand waving at him from the backseat of the vehicle he came to tow.

"With the light, I could see the three-year-old," Young said. "He was waving from the backseat."

Authorities say 36-year-old Michael Galloway abandoned his nine-month-old baby and three-year-old son in his vehicle while he sat inside Pandora's Gentlemen's Club from 10:15 p.m. to 11:45 p.m.

Galloway told police he was inside for just 20 minutes, but witnesses said Galloway was drinking in the strip club for nearly an hour-and-a-half.

"He said he was there trying to check on his wife who worked there. However, the officers soon determined that was not the case," said Dallas Police spokesman Lt. Kevin Janse. "She … was at home and she ultimately picked the kids up. After several lies from the father to the officers, the truth slowly started coming out."

Galloway was charged with two counts of child endangerment. He did not return phone messages left by CBS11 or answer his door.

Cross Country To Offer Pricelock Fuel Price Protection to Its Network of Towing, Road Service Providers

Here's the press release:

Cross Country Automotive Services (Cross Country), the largest provider of integrated vehicle and driver programs in North America, and Pricelock, Inc., a leading provider of fuel price protection to small and large businesses, have reached agreement to offer a new program to help Cross Country towing and road service partners control their fuel costs.

The addition of Pricelock's service enables Cross Country to provide its growing network of independent roadside service providers a simple, cost-effective way to manage their costs for gas and diesel fuel by minimizing their exposure to rising gas prices without requiring a change in how they currently purchase gas.

With Pricelock fuel price protection, Cross Country towing and road service partners receive a payout when national average fuel prices rise above their set protection price. Fuel price protection does not entail pre-purchasing fuel so partners benefit from lower fuel prices at the pump when prices fall.

"We are delighted to become an integrated part of Cross Country's overall service offering," said Pricelock's chief operating officer Naveen Agarwal. "Fuel prices matter to businesses of all sizes. Our goal is to enable all businesses to easily control the volatile cost of gas and diesel using strategies previously available only to large companies like Southwest Airlines."

Managing a business highly impacted by the fluctuating fuel costs is a common problem faced by Cross Country's network of independent roadside service providers.

"We are always searching for valuable solutions that help enhance the bottom lines of our service partners," added Charles Cavolina, Cross Country's senior vice president of Service Delivery. "With the addition of Pricelock's service to the variety of special benefits we offer to network providers, they now have an easy and cost-effective way to manage fuel costs, and can focus their resources on delivering the immediate and high-quality service associated with the Cross Country network."

Pricelock's fuel price protection is an integrated part of Cross Country's Perks program, designed to offer instrumental services and promotions to increase the efficiency of Cross Country partners' businesses. Cross Country service providers can enroll in the program at www.argosiperks.com or by contacting their Cross Country performance manager.

About Pricelock

Pricelock, headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., provides solutions to manage volatile fuel prices which are top of mind concerns for businesses and individuals alike. The company's full range of solutions has been benefitting fleets, employers, car manufacturers and consumers every day. From national brands such as Chrysler, Hyundai and Aegis to small, local businesses, Pricelock is responsible for more than 100 million gallons of price protected fuel. Pricelock also offers Carbonlock™, a unique, patented "green fleet" program that allows fleets and businesses to efficiently acquire certified carbon offsets and become carbon neutral. A full suite of Pricelock's solutions can be found at www.pricelock.com.

About Cross Country

For nearly 40 years, Cross Country Automotive Services has been a pioneer and thought leader in creating and delivering technology enabled service solutions for the auto and insurance industries.

Cross Country's innovative privately labeled customer relationship management programs connect, inform, and assist drivers while building brand loyalty. Cross Country leverages emerging technologies, data and application integration, and multi-modal experiences to deepen customer relationships at critical customer touch points. Its customized solutions include accident scene and vehicle release management programs, comprehensive roadside assistance plans and connected vehicle solutions (telematics) through its division, ATX Group.

Foreign and domestic automakers with greater than 90% of the domestic sales along with more than 30 of the largest automobile insurance carriers utilize Cross Country's expertise to engage with more than 76 million of their customers. Cross Country Automotive Services is a member of the Cross Country Group, one of the largest privately held providers of customer service programs in North America. For more information, visit www.crosscountry-auto.com.

SOURCE Cross Country Automotive Services
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RELATED LINKS
http://www.crosscountry-auto.com
http://www.pricelock.com

AAA Recycles 4 Million Auto Batteries, 90 Million Pounds of Lead

With Earth Day just a week away, this is pretty nice news! Here's the AAA press release:

AAA has recycled more than four million automotive batteries and continues to promote the environmental importance of recycling this essential automotive part that 100 million U.S. motorists replace each year.

Approximately 97 percent of all the lead in spent automotive batteries is recyclable.

Through the automotive battery recycling efforts of the AAA Mobile Battery Service and the AAA Approved Auto Repair network, AAA has recycled nearly 90 million pounds of lead in addition to 12 million pounds of plastic. This year, the nation’s largest motor club anticipates it will replace and recycle an additional one million batteries via its roadside battery replacement service.

“AAA encourages all motorists to recycle their old automotive batteries. Many don’t realize that batteries are made of hazardous materials, and it’s imperative that they not be left sitting around the house or discarded with trash,” said Marshall L. Doney, AAA Automotive, vice president.

Automotive batteries have three major components: lead, acid and plastic. Lead can be recycled and reused indefinitely in the production of new batteries. Sulfuric acid can be repurposed in three different ways. In addition to being reused for new batteries, it can be neutralized, purified and tested before being released as clean water; or it can be converted to sodium sulfate, a product used in fertilizer, dyes and other products. The plastic battery cases also can be recycled for new batteries.

As a benefit to members, AAA’s Mobile Battery Service goes to a member’s location to test their batteries, replace those that are spent and recycle the old battery for them.

AAA-branded automotive batteries are produced by East Penn Manufacturing, which has a long-standing history of environmental protection and dedication to sustainability practices. East Penn not only completely recycles all three major battery components, but also was the first in the industry to develop a method for acid reclamation.

“When properly recycled, nearly every part of an automotive battery can be reused. AAA is proud to work with one of the nation’s leaders in battery recycling to repurpose these components for use in the production of AAA-branded automotive batteries,” said Doney.

Consumers can contact their local AAA club or AAA Approved Auto Repair facility for information on where they can drop off a battery for recycling in their area. To find a nearby Approved Auto Repair facility, visit AAA.com/Repair.

AAA first began its mobile battery recycling efforts in 1997, and many AAA clubs have sponsored battery collections called the AAA Great Battery Roundup® to help raise awareness about battery recycling.

As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.

Roving Tow Trucks Pilot Program Working In Calgary

Here's the story from Canada's CBC News:

Having tow trucks on hand to clear away stalled vehicles before they create traffic jams is reducing rush-hour headaches in Calgary, according to the city.

In February the city approved a one-year test project — costing $636,000 — to have five tow trucks focus on major commuting routes, keeping broken down vehicles from blocking traffic during the morning and evening rush hour.

The rigs have responded to an average of seven incidents per day, the city said Tuesday.

The truck operators have assisted at about 255 incidents involving vehicles that were stalled or inoperable, moving them to a nearby safe location.

The tow trucks are assigned to:

• Crowchild Trail at the Bow River crossing.
• Memorial Drive between Deerfoot Trail and downtown.
• Macleod Trail South from Anderson Road to 162nd Avenue S.W.
• Glenmore Trail between Crowchild Trail and 14th Street S.W.

A fifth tow truck also patrols Deerfoot Trail.

The city's Traffic Management Centre also directs truck operators to help motorists in trouble who are spotted by traffic cameras.

In one instance, a tow truck operator assisted a driver in medical distress by calling an ambulance, staying until emergency crews arrived and then moving the vehicle to a nearby safe location, the city said.

The city is monitoring the success of the trial service — free to motorists — and will report back to council by November.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/04/13/calgary-tow-trucks-rush-hour-roving-improve-roads.html#ixzz0lBzjjpvy

Farewell, Friend

Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of 48-year-old NC tow truck driver Durward Whitehead, Sr. who died on Apr. 13. Here's the story from the Daily Press:

CHESAPEAKE — A North Carolina man died on Tuesday night after crashing his tow truck into a building in the Western Branch section of Chesapeake.

Durward Whitehead Sr., 48, of Elizabeth City, "appeared to have had a medical emergency which caused the accident," police spokeswoman Dorienne Boykin said.

Whitehead crashed his truck into East Coast Leisure, in the 3200 block of Western Branch Boulevard, around 7 p.m. Tuesday. He was transported to a local hospital where he died a short time later. The business was closed at the time of the accident, and no one else was injured.

Western Michigan University Student Is Sued In Facebook Battle With Towing Company

Here's the story from the Kalamazoo Gazette:

KALAMAZOO — A 21-year-old Western Michigan University student whose gripe with a towing company has caught fire on the Internet through the social-networking site Facebook is now the target of a $750,000 lawsuit by the company.

The “Kalamazoo Residents against T & J Towing” group on Facebook has gained more than 4,200 members since Justin Kurtz launched it in February after his car was towed from the apartment complex where he lives.

T & J Towing last week sued Kurtz seeking $750,000 in damages and requesting a court order that he “immediately cease and desist any further libelous and slanderous written claims” about the company. The suit filed on behalf of T & J Towing President Joseph Bird says the company has lost numerous business accounts since Kurtz launched the Facebook group.

“I’m not losing sleep about it,” Kurtz said Tuesday.

The WMU aviation student from Yorkville, N.Y., said he decided to start the Facebook group during the first week of February, just a few days after his Saturn SL2 was towed from a parking spot at The Arboretum apartment complex west of campus.

He claims his car was legally parked and that he had his complex-issued parking sticker displayed, but that the sticker was missing and the front end of his car was damaged when he reclaimed the vehicle from T & J Towing for a $118 fee.

Kurtz says on his Facebook group that he believes his car was broken into and his parking sticker removed so that his car, locked and guarded by an alarm, could be towed, assertions he reiterated Tuesday to the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Numerous messages posted on Kurtz’s Facebook group allege others’ vehicles were legally parked when they were towed by T & J, including some who also say their parking stickers had been removed from their windows.

In the two-page complaint filed April 5 in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court, the company alleges Kurtz is using the Facebook group in a “crusade to post verbal and written claims ... with allegations that are untrue and/or dishonest and without merit” and that a “continual onslaught of libelous and slanderous claims” has caused the towing company to lose business.

A woman who answered a call to T & J Towing Tuesday said that the company was directing questions to its attorney, Richard K. Burnham, of Paw Paw. The Kalamazoo Gazette was unable to reach Burnham for comment.

The Better Business Bureau of Western Michigan, meanwhile, has given T & J Towing an overall rating of “F.”

A bureau report on the company shows a pattern of “complaints in which consumers allege the company towed vehicles in error when either the vehicle had the required parking pass, or the vehicle was not parked in a designated no parking area.”

“In addition,” the report says, “there is also a pattern of complaints alleging that the company only accepts cash as a payment method, but refuses to provide change if the consumer does not have the exact amount.”

T & J Towing has failed to respond to 17 of 20 complaints filed against it over the last three years, according to the bureau.

“The grade says it all,” Ken Vander Meede, president of the Better Business Bureau of Western Michigan, said of T & J Towing. “I don’t do business with ‘F’ businesses and we encourage people not to do business with ‘F’ businesses. This is a company that has had a number of inquiries and a number of complaints and their record stands on its own.”

Kurtz said he planned to speak with an attorney today, but that he isn’t worried by the lawsuit and has no plans to take down his Facebook group.

He’s watching, in the meantime, as the number of members in the group continues to grow. It jumped by 800 between Monday and Tuesday afternoon after news of the T & J lawsuit spread.

Contact Rex Hall Jr. at rhall@kalamazoogazette.com or (269) 388-7784.

International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame - Class of 2010 Announced!

Congratulations from all of us at Towing & Recovery Footnotes!!! Here's the press release:

Eight outstanding industry leaders have been selected for induction into the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame as the Class of 2010.

Ronald F. Bauman (Riverside, CA), Steve M. Bowman (Burlington, NC), Charles J. Ceccarelli III (Mountain Home, ID), Edwin J. Kingsmill (Metairie, LA), Jimmy A. Schlier (Tannersville, PA), Gordon Simmons (Clinton, WA), James A. Stewart (Bradenton, FL) and James Williams (Gastonia, NC) were nominated by members of the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum for their many contributions to the towing and recovery industry, their families and their communities.

“Each year, the inductees share common strengths which have led to their nomination into this prestigious group,” says Rolfe Johnson, President of the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum.

“This year’s inductees share a dedication to their state and local towing organizations as well as the national towing and recovery community.”

Hall of Fame members will be recognized at an induction ceremony to be held at 6 p.m. on September 18th, 2010 at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. A full weekend of activities will be held to celebrate this year’s inductees. For more information on the induction ceremony, or to order tickets, call Cheryl Mish at 423-267-3132.

Kenney Bill Would Change Towing Practices In Philadephia

Here's the Philadephia Inquirer story:

By Jeff Shields

Inquirer Staff Writer

The towing of vehicles in Philadelphia will come under strict regulation if City Councilman James F. Kenney's new bill makes it into law.

Kenney, saying he was fed up with illegally towed cars and tow operators who ignore a city requirement to accept credit cards, proposed a bill Thursday to forbid the towing of cars that have not been ticketed and to require towing companies to provide a list of all their signs on private property in the city.

Kenney said in an interview that many signs that tell people which company towed their cars still say "cash only." That leads people to believe they can't use credit cards to retrieve their cars, he said. Council passed a Kenney-sponsored bill in June 2008 requiring tow-truck operators to accept credit cards.

Kenney said listing the signs would establish exactly which areas are permanently marked as no-parking zones.

That information ideally would be posted online by the Department of Licenses and Inspections so people could verify whether they had parked in an illegal zone, Kenney said.

"This legislation will address these problems by providing a basic level of protection for those who are towed," he said in a news release Thursday.

Requiring vehicles to be ticketed by police or the Philadelphia Parking Authority before they could be towed would be a dramatic change. Currently, companies can tow any illegally parked vehicle from private property with the property owner's permission.

Kenney's bill will be scheduled for a public hearing.

Alleged CT Repo Man Shooter Pleads Not Guilty

Here's the update on the Mar. 3 shooting of 35-year-old CT repo man Christopher Davis from the Valley Independent Sentinel (click on the link within the story for the original story):

Milford —

The man accused of shooting a tow truck driver who was trying to repossess his vehicle pleaded not guilty in Milford Superior Court Thursday.

Efrain Rodriguez, an Ansonia resident who is free on a $150,000 bond, made a quick court appearance. He’s due back in court May 12.

Rodriguez, 30, is charged with first-degree assault, carrying a pistol without a permit, criminal possession of a pistol and violation of a protective order.

Police said Rodriguez shot Christopher Davis, 35, point blank in the knee after arguing with him about the repossession. Davis’ injury required extensive surgery.

The shooting happened March 3 on Reichelt Terrace.

Rodriguez’s companion, Sabrina Vasquez, 30, was charged with interfering with a police officer because she tried to take credit for shooting Davis, police said at the time.

She’s due in Derby court April 21.

Rodriguez was under a court order to stay away from Vasquez at the time of the arrest, police said.

FL Tower Hurt As Train Pulling Safety Caboose Collides With Tow Truck

A little bit of irony here... Hope the driver recovers quickly. Here's the story from the Florida Times-Union:

By Jim Schoettler

A train engine pulling a caboose used to promote railroad crossing safety collided with a tow truck in North Jacksonville this afternoon, injuring the tow truck driver, police and fire officials said.

The accident occurred about 1:15 p.m. in the 9200 block of North Main Street across from the Preferred Materials concrete plant. A tow truck from Abe's Wrecker Service was leaving a junkyard and crossing a train track when it was struck by the northbound engine and caboose, said Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Lt. Allen Eason.

There was no crossing arm at the site, but there was a sign warning motorists about the track.

Eason said the tow truck driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The man, taken to Shands Jacksonville hospital, has not been identified.

The CSX engine was pulling an Operation Lifesaver caboose. Operation Lifesaver is a nonprofit organization that raises awareness of railroad crossing hazards, said Gary Sease, a CSX spokesman. A message on the caboose read: Look. Listen. Live.

The engine and caboose were headed to work switching trains. No one on the engine was injured and no one was in the caboose.

Farewell, Friend

Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of TX tower, Willard Simpson, who died on Apr. 3. He owned Simpson's Wrecker Service in Denton. Here's the photo and caption from the Denton Record-Chronicle:

DRC/Barron Ludlum

Dozens of tow trucks move down Bonnie Brae Street in a funeral procession for Willard Simpson, who owned Simpson’s Wrecker Service. He died Saturday and was buried in Roselawn Memorial Park on Wednesday.

What Tow Company Owners Dream About...

I found this episode of the History Channel's show "Pawn Stars" on TopSpeed.com. A tow company owner was paid to haul away an authentic Shelby Cobra body from a storage unit and, since the Cobra's owner didn't respond to lien letters sent, the tow owner got to keep it!

Philadephia Councilman Targets Rogue Towers

Here's the KYW Newsradio 1060 Philadelphia story:

by KYW's Mike Dunn

A Philadelphia Councilman on Thursday was to propose a bill targeting rogue tow truck operators -- specifically their practice of towing cars from driveways and lots even though the vehicles are legally parked.

Councilman-at-large Jim Kenney says most tow truck operators are on the up-and-up, but a handful regularly skirt the law:

"Its just an element of the industry that does not represent the majority of towers in the city, but an element of this industry that are basically acting in a criminal way to steal people's cars and shake them down for money."

Kenney says their latest scam is to tow cars that are parking perfectly legally on private lots or driveways:

"What we're dealing with now are rogue towers who go into a facility, take any random car they want and say it was illegally parked, with no record of who took the car, where it is, when it was taken. And people are just wandering around trying to find their car."

And the owner has to pay to get his car back:

"When they finally track down the car, then they go to this place locked down like Fort Knox, where you slip cash under a window to get your vehicle back. This is not the Wild West."

City attorneys believe it would be difficult to prosecute this as outright theft. So Kenney is introducing a bill that says no car can be towed from a lot or driveway unless it has been ticketed by police or the parking authority. He says this would amount to a neutral third party stipulating that the car truly should not be on the lot or driveway.

The parking authority, according to a top official there, has agreed to take part if the measure becomes law.

Violators, according to his bill, could be jailed for up to 90 days, though its unclear if that proposed provision could be enforced.

City controller Alan Butkovitz last fall released an audit accusing tow truck operators of routinely overcharging customers. City code currently limits tow truck fees to $150.

Runaway Dump Truck Falls Off TX Seawall

This story was sent to our attention by "Lil Tony" Socias of Tony & Bros. Wrecker Service, along with the photos of their recovery job. Here's the note Tony sent: "It only took one hour from call out to finish. It was done by a Peterbilt Century 1060 (60 ton) and a Peterbilt Century 5030 (30 ton). After the recovery, the truck was able to drive away from the accident. We've been in buisness since 1933, family-owned and operated by 3 generations."

Here's the story from The Galveston County Daily News:

GALVESTON — A runaway dump truck used to haul sand rolled backward across four lanes of traffic and off the edge of the 17-foot seawall on Monday afternoon.

Eric Lopez, who drives the dump truck for E&R Melgar Trucking, said he parked the vehicle about 1:30 p.m. in the parking lot at Gorditas Mexican restaurant, 712 Seawall Blvd., and went inside to eat lunch.

Soon after, he was interrupted when police went into the restaurant asking for the driver of the truck, he said.

While Lopez was inside Gorditas, the dump truck rolled out of the parking lot, across Seawall Boulevard and tipped off the edge of the seawall.

It fell into an empty beach area just west of Wings Beachwear, 519 Seawall Blvd., according to fire department reports. No one was injured in the incident.

Lopez, who said he thought he had put the parking brake on, said he didn’t realize the truck had rolled away until police told him.

On Monday afternoon, firefighters blocked off the eastbound lane on Seawall Boulevard as a tow truck yanked the dump truck from its perch on the edge of the seawall. The truck, which Lopez said he had been hauling sand to reconstruct the beach in front of the seawall, was removed by 2:30 p.m. and hauled off.

Farewell, Friend

Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of 70-year-old Ken Fife, owner of Dick's Towing and active member of the Towing & Recovery Association of Washington. Fife died on Mar. 26 after a long battle with heart disease. Here's a story about a tribute to him:

WENATCHEE — Ken Fife’s tow-truck-driving friends from Puget Sound were headed for his funeral here Friday when they ran into an unexpected complication. Snow on mountain passes forced them to go to work.

Up to 20 tow trucks from Seattle and surrounding cities were expected to take part in a tow-truck funeral procession honoring Fife, owner of Dicks’s Towing and a leader in the state’s towing industry. But many of drivers and their rigs were needed to rescue skidded vehicles in the wet, heavy snow that blanketed the cross-mountain highways Friday morning.

“Kenny would have loved the irony of this,” said Mike Walcker, director of the Towing & Recovery Association of Washington. “He would have understood completely.”

With emergency lights flashing, about 20 trucks from Chelan County and Eastern Washington participated in leading a long procession of vehicles from Wenatchee over the Odabashian Bridge to East Wenatchee’s Evergreen Memorial Park. Dozens of friends, relatives and business associates attended Fife’s church and graveside services.

Fife, 70, died March 26 after a long battle with heart disease. Following a varied career in furniture sales and interior design, he began working for Dick’s Service in the early 1970s. By 1978, he and wife Jeannie had bought the towing operation. For the next 30 years, Fife worked to support and promote the towing industry, serving as president of the state towing association in the 1980s, all the while running his growing towing businesses in Wenatchee and East Wenatchee.

“He was the kind of guy that’d keep you on your toes,” said Teri Hopkins, who’s worked for Fife for 14 years at Dick’s Towing and as manager for the last year. “He had high expectations and wanted everyone to meet them.”

But that didn’t mean he wasn’t thoughtful or caring, she added. “Almost everyone one of us — each employee — has had troubles at one time or another, and Kenny was always there to help. We were a pretty tight group, and he always made sure we were doing OK.”

She thought for a minute, eyes cast downward. “It’s as if he’s always been part of my life. I’m going to miss him, totally.”

Nathan Ogle, a tow-truck driver for two years at Dicks, said Fife remained in charge of the company even through his illness. “Sick or not, he made sure the job got done,” said Ogle. “Even in the end, he’d show up at work using a cane or crutches or a walker. He just had to make sure things were getting done right.”

Out in the parking lot, Ray Caveness, manager of Randy’s Towing, warmed up his big rig’s engine for the upcoming tow-truck procession to honor Fife. “Ken was a friendly but tough competitor,” said Caveness. “No question, though, that the industry is going to miss him — he was very supportive, very involved, a very respected member of the towing industry.”

Mike Irwin: 665-1179

irwin@wenatcheeworld.com

Tow Needs Tow in MA

CLINTON — The rain has created plenty of problems in Clinton in recent days. On Water Street, a tow truck that had been parked at Atlantic Auto Body dropped into a sink hole that had been created by the overflowing Nashua River.

The water receded, revealing a tow truck in need of a tow. Pictured, the truck's plight was pondered this morning by its owner and others. (From www.telegram.com)

Farewell, Friend

Our condolences to the family and acquaintances of 60-year-old Ronald L. Langhofer of Cassoday, KS, who was killed Mar. 31 when a train struck his truck. Langhofer was the owner of Ron's Service and Towing for many years. Here's the Witchita Eagle story:

Butler County authorities have released the name of the man killed when a train struck his truck late Wednesday night near Cassoday.

Ronald L. Langhofer, 60, of Cassoday was killed when he drove in front of a BNSF freight train at the intersection of K-177 and Northeast 140th Street at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy said.

The train was traveling south at about 55 miles an hour as it approached the intersection, authorities have said.

Members of the train crew said they saw the pickup sitting by the side of Northeast 140th. When the lead engine was about 500 feet from the crossing, the pickup drove onto the tracks in front of the train, they told investigators.

The train was unable to stop, Murphy said, and upon impact pushed the pickup about 4,000 feet south of the crossing. The train was using its warning devices and went into braking mode when it struck the pickup.

Investigators are still reviewing information in the case, Murphy said Friday.

Langhofer owned and operated Ron's Service and Towing in Cassoday for many years. During that time, he was the towing service contacted by law enforcement officials for vehicles on the Kansas Turnpike and also in northeastern Butler County.

Miller Industries Turns 20!

Seems to be a banner year for the towing industry... Towing & Recovery Footnotes celebrates our 20th year and so does Miller Industries. Here's their press release:

Miller Industries is proud to announce that this year marks its 20th anniversary in the manufacturing of towing and recovery equipment. Since its beginnings in mid-April 1990, Miller Industries has continued to grow as a world leader in towing and recovery manufacturing under the well-known brands of Century, Vulcan, Chevron, Challenger, Champion, Eagle, Holmes, Jige and Boniface.

The Chattanooga, Tennessee-based company is excited to share in its celebration and say thank you to all its customers who have helped lead to Miller Industries' success. As a result, Miller Industries will be hosting a number of special events and anniversary celebrations throughout the year, starting with the upcoming 2010 Florida Tow Show in Orlando on April 15-18.

“We at Miller Industries are really looking forward to celebrating our 20th anniversary,” said Vice President of Marketing Randy Olson. “We can't thank our customers enough for their support over the years, but we're sure going to try. We've planned some exciting new events that will take place throughout the year. We don't want to give anything away, but we think that all our customers will be thrilled with what we have planned for Florida, and at many other shows throughout the season leading up to November and the AT Expo in Baltimore.”

In addition to its headquarters and manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Miller Industries also has facilities in Greeneville, Tennessee, Hermitage and Mercer,Pennsylvania, Thetford, England and Revigny, France. For more information on Miller Industries and the 20th anniversary, please log on to www.millerind.com

Everyday OK Tow Hero

Round of applause to Matt McBride, a driver for Express Towing of Moore, OK, for helping stop a high-speed chase! Here's the News 9 story:

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A tow truck driver's story of a wild ride was no April Fool's Day prank.

On Thursday afternoon, Matt McBride said he was on his way to assist a motorist when he suddenly found himself in the middle of a high-speed chase along I-44 in Oklahoma City. McBride, a driver for Express Towing in Moore, said he knew he had to do something.

"I was like well, you're going to get stopped. Somehow you're going to get stopped bud," McBride said.

McBride used his tow truck to help block the truck eluding troopers and police.

"He never hit my truck, and he ended up stopping," McBride said.

The driver of the speeding truck, Joshua Graham, was first spotted by police speeding through school zones in Blanchard and refused to stop. The chase went from Blanchard to Newcastle and ended in Oklahoma City.

"I really want to thank that tow truck driver," said Blanchard Police Chief Tom Linn. "He really helped us."

Back at the office, McBride's boss wasn't buying the story.

"We didn't believe him," said Express Towing Manager Russell Anderson. "It's April Fools Day and I said there's no way."

Anderson said his drivers had been pranking him all day and refused to be the butt of another joke, but Anderson finally believed him after hearing reports of the chase on the radio.

"I'm very proud of him," Anderson said.

McBride said in his line of work he sees what happens when police pursuits end tragically. It's why he did what he did, and he said he would do it all over again.

The suspect, Joshua Graham, is facing a long list of charges including theft, speeding, eluding police and reckless driving. Police said after they took him into custody he was taken to a hospital to be checked out. Chief Linn said during the chase he likely took prescription medicines that belonged to the owner of the truck he allegedly stole.

Nice Pics, Good Story on OH Tower!

Kudos to writer Matthew Rink for a great story and to photographer Kevin Whitlock for a set of nice pics! Here's the story from The Independent:

By MATTHEW RINK

The Independent

Posted Apr 01, 2010 @ 10:49 PM

MASSILLON, OH —

Dan Reed waited with arms crossed as the city’s first responders hustled to rescue the woman trapped in the upside-down truck.

Forty feet below him, down a rocky bank of the Tuscarawas River, rested the smashed-up, red, Ford F150. With its underbelly exposed, Reed, his two brothers, Chuck and Tom, and son, Ryan, faced the routine challenge of clearing the wreckage.

As soon as the Thursday morning accident victim was transported from the scene, Dan and his family crew got to work.

Two extra, heavy-duty tow trucks, perched atop the Cherry Road bridge and the Ohio 21 intersection, spit out strands of metal rope to the truck below. Dan grabbed and hooked the chains onto the truck’s steel skeleton.

He motioned to the guys above.

The tow truck’s few tugs were enough to align the red Ford, top down in a field of grass, for an eventual lift.

What looked complicated and cumbersome for the crowd that gathered along the bridge and bike path above, appeared to be old-hat for Dan and the family business.

Harold “Hendy” Reed founded the family business in 1958. It’s grown into a five-man operation with a fleet of 14 trucks. Dan learned the business when he was a teenager and has been at it ever since.

“We’ve all grown up in the business,” he said.

The company works mostly in Stark County and Northeast Ohio, but services several states. It handles site cleanup for the city on a rotating basis and does work for both the Stark County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio Highway Patrol.

In July 2008, Reed’s was called to Jackson Township, where a 100-plus-ton rolling mill bound for the Timken Co. in Canton got stuck attempting to negotiate a turn at Lafayette and High Mill Avenue.

Reed’s Towing used two of its extra, heavy duty tow trucks to pull the 150-foot-long, 20-foot-wide tractor trailer back onto the roadway.

On Thursday morning, the Reed brothers arrived at the intersection of Ohio 21 and Cherry Road prepared for some more heavy lifting. They flawlessly maneuvered the red Ford from its top to its side, and then back onto its four tires.

But instead of pulling it up the steep river bank, the tow truck hoisted it straight up some 40 feet and then back onto the street. The whole process took about 45 minutes.

“Nice job,” Massillon police Sgt. J.J. DiLoreto told Dan and his brothers after the successful lift.

“These guys really know what they are doing,” DiLoreto said. “They are the best. I’ve been on the job for 20-some years and when we have car accidents like this it’s good to know we have them in this city.”

The accident reminded Dan of the time years back when the company had to pull a vehicle from river waters below the Walnut Road bridge.

“At least this one wasn’t in the water,” he said. “We don’t do this type of job every day, but it is kind of routine.”