Near miss for tow truck driver after car slams into truck

Tow truck driver Ryland Jefferies has had close calls with vehicles before, but nothing quite as close as what happened on a western Manitoba highway Monday night.

"I just heard tires on pavement for about a second and then it hit me," Jefferies said.

Jefferies, a tow truck driver with Full Tilt Towing and Transport in Brandon, Man., was at the scene of a rollover on Highway 2 near Nesbitt, Man. and about to pull a vehicle out of the ditch to tow back to Brandon when a car slammed into the back of his truck. 

"I didn't even know what hit me until I walked away, gave my head a shake and turned around," he said. 

Jefferies said he had his truck's flashing lights on, pylons out on the highway and other safety equipment in use, but it seems the driver didn't see his truck until it was too late.

Missed being hit by seconds

The car ended up breaking his truck's back axle before spinning around and breaking off a front tire, Jefferies said, adding that he isn't sure how the driver of the car didn't see didn't see his tow truck parked at the side of the road. 

Highway conditions were slippery and blowing snow had reduced visibility, according to Jefferies. 

If the crash happened mere seconds earlier, Jefferies said the outcome would have been much different. 

"If I was on the other side of the vehicle, it would have directly hit me," he said. "It was right where I had to stand to use the controls."

Jefferies had moved to the passenger side of his tow truck right before the crash. 

"If I rewound 15 seconds, I would be standing directly where she hit. It was pretty nerve-racking." 

Second crash in a week 

Monday night's crash is the second such incident in less than a week in Manitoba.

Last Wednesday night, CAA Manitoba said a tow truck driver was pulling a car out of a ditch along Highway 216 when a vehicle, estimated to be travelling at 90 km/h, slammed into the back of the tow truck. 

No one was injured, but both the truck and the other vehicle were severely damaged. In that case, flashing lights and beacons were also in use, CAA said. 

Both the truck Jefferies was driving and the car that hit him Monday night were also severely damaged.

Laws say slow down

He has a message for other drivers. 

"Just think, if it was you out there, would you want a speeding vehicle go by you, or do you want a vehicle that's only doing 10 km/h?" he asked.

"I've had close calls but never anything this bad," he said. 

When passing any emergency vehicle, laws in Manitoba require drivers to slow down to 60 km/h if the posted speed limit is 80 km/h or higher, or 40 km/h if the posted speed limit is under 80 km/h. Drivers are also required to move to the lane furthest from the vehicle if possible.

Drivers who don't could face a $300 fine and two demerits.