Tow truck drivers have died, even recently, despite a state law mandating drivers to move over and slow down when there are any flashing lights on the side of the road. My brother’s been hit, my dad’s been hit a few times by vehicles on the side of the freeway.” “When they’re going that fast, the wind wants to suck you into the lane of travel. “I’ve been on the side of the freeway, and a semi blew by really close and it blew my hat off,” Wells said. But blocking an entire freeway isn’t always an option the result is fast-moving vehicles zipping by a narrow shoulder where employees like Wells are trying to work.

It can also be a bit traumatic, Wells said, since drivers are responding to a crash that could have fatalities or serious injuries.Īt the Lexus crash scene, the police officer blocked the road for Wells to easily access the car without issue. While calls can be intriguing and challenging, depending on the scenario, towing is a dangerous job due to regularly having to work on the sides of busy roads and freeways. “It’s fun and it’s interesting when they call us because it’s like, we have to be there now,” Wells said with an emphasis on “now.” Towing is an often overlooked but necessary part of responding to emergencies on roadways. Wells said most towing businesses have a relationship with local police departments. The car’s driver, who appeared unharmed, stood to the side talking on a cellphone while a police officer assessed the situation. The circumstances that led to the crash weren’t immediately clear, but it appeared the driver had lost control and hit a raised median, resulting in the turnover. Several yards ahead, a black 2017 Lexus RX350 lay completely on its right side. With a sense of calm, Wells drove the aqua-green-colored flatbed truck to the scene, which was blocked off by a Ridgefield Police Department vehicle flashing its lights. In black pants, brown boots and a TLC-towing sweatshirt covered in dirt and dust, Wells hopped in a flatbed truck to see about the Lexus. The Lexus certainly wasn’t in a remote area but rather on the nicely paved South Union Ridge Parkway. Requests for towing run the gamut, from businesses that have cars parked in spots that they shouldn’t be, to logging trucks stuck on remote dirt roads. Though accidents like the Lexus on its side are rare occurrences for most people, calls like that are usual for Wells and the 20 other employees at the shop. “I always wanted to stay away from it, but after high school, I tried it out,” he said. Logan Wells grew up around the shop and is “trained on everything,” he said. Wells is the son of the shop’s founder, Cory Wells, who opened it in 1994.

Death Rate Of Tow Truck Drivers