Tow truck driver still in hospital after being struck on Highway 417

A 19-year-old resident of Smiths Falls, Ont., has been charged for having worn tires after she struck a tow truck operator who was responding to a prior collision on Highway 417 in west Ottawa last week.

The 46-year-old tow truck driver, Abbas Kadir, suffered severe, life-threatening multi-system trauma and remains in hospital after he was struck on Aug. 26 in the highway's eastbound lanes near Palladium Drive.

He had been trying to help clean up a minor two-vehicle crash.

• Tow truck driver struck, critically hurt on Highway 417

"He's starting to breathe on his own now. The surgeries went well, everything's good, we're hoping for the best. It's just a matter of time now until he wakes up," said Kadir's son, Jon Kadir, on Tuesday.

The two co-own Jonny's Towing together.

In Ontario, drivers are required to slow down and move over to give space to emergency vehicles stopped on the side of the road.

The province has expanded this rule to include tow trucks, which came into effect Sept. 1.

"I think the new rule that came out, I think most of us will feel more protected," Jon Kadir said of the new legislation on Tuesday. "It's just too bad that drivers out there have to be disciplined to respect our lives."

The police investigation resulted in a provincial offence notice for "improper tires," OPP said. It was raining at the time of the crash.

Jon Kadir said he's not focused on the charge against the driver.

"I'm not really sure how I feel about it. It's not really my concern right now. All I'm worried about is my father. We almost lost him. I'm just hoping for the best right now," he said.