LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) —A recent study done by AAA shows that people like state troopers and tow truck drivers are struck and killed nearly four times more than originally believed.
They found that nationwide, at least 123 of them were killed between 2015 and 2021. National crash data said there were only 34. That’s because they were being counted as pedestrians instead of people assisting.
Some tow truck drivers hope sharing their stories can encourage drivers to slow down and move over.
One of them said their friend, the owner a tow truck company in Grand Rapids, died late last year. And he hopes by telling his story and others that he will be the last.
Highway heroes like Drew Dungey, a tow driver at H&H Mobil, put their lives on the line to make sure Michigan drivers are safe.
But with that comes its downsides.
“I enjoy helping people on the side of the road,” Dungey said. “I enjoy helping people that are in distress. Especially when their car breaks down. It can be kind of scary when you’re standing on the side of the highway, and you have people coming at you at 70 miles an hour. It happens pretty much every day that we’re on the highway. “