Strathmore, Alberta — September 6, 2017 — The towing industry, friends and family bid their goodbyes to a tow truck driver who was killed on the job in a road collision, in Strathmore, Alberta, August 29.
According to a media release from the Alberta RCMP, the tow truck and a tractor-trailer had both been travelling westbound on the Trans-Canada Highway when the tow truck struck the rear of the tractor-trailer. The collision set both vehicles on on fire, and the 44-year old driver died on the scene.
“We’ve spoken with the driver of the semi truck. He was in motion and the vehicle wasn’t slowing down or stopping or anything like that,” RCMP Cpl. Jay Salmon said.
“It appears that the tow truck just came up and rear-ended the back of the semi truck at highway speeds.”
“The driver of the semi-truck did not incur any injury, and there were no other occupants in the vehicles,” according to a statement made by the RCMP. Responders arrived on the scene at 3:51 a.m. Highway traffic was diverted for a period of time in order to allow the responders to secure goods from the tractor-trailer unit.
Both the police and the occupational health and safety division of Alberta Labour are investigating the accident.
Trent Bancarz, a Spokesperson for Alberta Labour, commented on their involvement with the collision, noting: “Both the driver of the tow truck and the driver of the tractor-trailer unit were actively at work at the time of the collision, so that’s why we will be investigating it as well. But for now, the RCMP is pretty much leading it.”
