The recent deaths of three AAA tow providers, killed while assisting drivers, show just how dangerous it is for those who work along the roadside.
Raymond Mitchell, 33, was killed Sept. 22 on I-5 southbound near Kalama, WA when a log truck hit him on the side of the freeway. Washington State Patrol says the driver who hit Mitchell was speeding. An investigation is underway and charges are possible. Glenn Ewing, 32, was killed July 4 near Cincinnati, OH, while placing a disabled vehicle on the back of a flatbed on the side of the road. He leaves behind a fiancée and two children. Only three weeks later, 30-year-old David Meyer was assisting a driver on the left-hand shoulder in Castle Rock, CO, when he was also struck and killed. As of August of this year, 14 tow providers have been killed while helping others at the roadside in 2021.
“Deaths like these can be avoided if drivers just slow down and move over. AAA service techs and other emergency responders are often only just a few inches away from speeding vehicles as they do their jobs. Please slow down, move over, and give them space,” says Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA Oregon. “AAA is committed to raising awareness of the dangers associated with working or being stranded at the roadside.”
Here’s video of AAA Oregon technician Dan Gamble who was assisting a AAA member on I-5 southbound in Portland, south of the Terwilliger curves, with traffic whizzing by just inches away.
