When people think of jobs that could be dangerous, tow truck driver is usually relatively low on the list, if it appears at all. However, stopping along busy roads to tow a vehicle can be dangerous, especially when someone on the road has been drinking and is beyond the point of being able to legally drive. Tragically, this is the scenario that played out and led to the death of a tow truck driver Sunday in Virginia.
According to WIVB:
“WAVY.com was at the scene Sunday night on I-64. Police say 51-year-old William Burns of Newport News was drunk when he lost control of his 2005 Mitsubishi Raider truck and smashed into the back of Starmer’s tow truck.
In the direct path of the out of control vehicle stood Starmer. He was hooking the last chain onto the broken down van. He never knew, moments before he lost his own life, he saved someone else’s.
“Him and the driver were standing (next to the tow truck) just mere seconds before (the crash) happened and he explained to the other driver, he said, ‘Look sir, I really need you to go back on the other side of the vehicle out of harms way because you never know what happens out here, okay?’” says Clarence Patrick of Superior Towing.”
The driver has been charged with aggravated involuntary manslaughter, and he is sure to face some sort of civil liability. If you have been drinking on any given day or night, do not drive. If you see a tow truck driver along the side of the road, provide the person with a safe distance as you pass. If you or someone you love has been injured or worse by a drunk driver, contact the personal injury attorneys at the Phillips National Injury Group today to schedule a free initial consultation.
Fri, Aug 14, 2009
DUI Accidents