According to AAA, the auto club that offers roadside assistance, on average a tow truck driver in the United States is killed every 6 days. There are laws, specifically the “slow down and move over” law to prevent this, but it is often ignored.
Connecticut tow truck driver Corey Iodice was struck by an intoxicated driver on the Merritt Parkway while loading a broken-down car onto his truck. The car hit him at approximately 96 mph, according to police, killing him instantly, which happened on April 22, 2020.
Corey was a part of the Iodice Family transport towing company and was a third-generation tow operator in Fairfield, Connecticut. He often worked alongside his brother, Chris Iodice.
“My brother was a huge safety guy,” Chris says. Corey was never seen without reflective gear and always warned those around him to stay off the side of the road. But even taking all those precautions himself wasn’t enough. “He always used to tell me I guarantee you if I get run over and killed I’ll be wearing my vest,” Chris said over the phone.
In 1991 Corey was awarded a Civilian Service Medal for saving a crash victim’s life. His name is engraved on “the wall of the fallen” in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which is a museum dedicated to memorializing tow truck operators who were killed in accidents on the job.
According to court documents, the man responsible for the crash was intoxicated after spending a day at the local golf course. Although he was charged with a DUI and manslaughter, the case is still pending in court and he is not in jail.
Closer to home in Hamilton Township, NJ, Chuck Mason, who owns Chuck’s Towing and has been on the job for 32 years says, “You see the results of people being stupid and not caring.”
Mason’s first fatal accident was on Route 130. He says he had to ask the cop where the driver was to which he replied, “He’s under the car.”
He has seen many fatal accidents since then.
Mason says the fatal accident he remembers best was on Father’s Day 2013. A drunk man going down the wrong end of the highway crashed head-on into a father, daughter, and son driving home from a family function. The father died instantly, while the daughter was taken off life support the next day.
“My worst fear is getting out and seeing it’s somebody I know,” Mason says.
So what can motorists do to protect themselves from a fatal accident?
Gary Conover, a retired police officer from Mercer County, shared some advice about being safe on the roads. He says, “You gotta keep your head on the swivel. Even though you might be the safest person in the world you gotta watch out for the other person driving.”
In order to protect first responders, New Jersey has the “slow down and move over law”.
The law means that vehicles should slow down and move away from authorized vehicles displaying emergency lights.
According to state.nj.us, the law was passed in 2009 and in 2020 was advocated for by governor Phil Murphy. The fine for not following the law is between $100-500 per rule break.
During a survey conducted by AAA, about 90% of first responders said they have had a near-death experience while on the job. The reason for this is that vehicles did not slow down and move over.
According to NJ.com, in 2021 alone 690 people were killed in traffic crashes in the state. This is the highest it has been since 2007, with the numbers on the rise for the past 3 years.
To be safer on the roads, always be on high alert. When there are authorized vehicles with emergency lights on, slow down and move over.
