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A 39-year-old tow truck driver from Richmond Hill is dead after he was hit by a vehicle while assisting another motorist near Belwood Lake, north of Guelph, on Saturday night.
Police closed Wellington Road 26 between Erin Garafraxa Townline and Sideroad 27 in Erin just after 9 p.m. after being called to the collision.
In a release on Tuesday, Wellington County OPP said officers and other emergency responders were called to the area for reports a motor vehicle had hit a pedestrian, a tow truck operator who was outside his vehicle while assisting another vehicle.
The tow truck driver was taken to an area hospital with “major-life-threatening injuries” police said. He was pronounced dead on Monday.
The driver of the other vehicle was also taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the collision or have dash cam footage of what happened in the moments leading up to or including the collision to contact OPP investigators. Tips can also be left anonymously at Crime Stoppers.
2nd death of tow truck operator this month
This is the second time this month a tow truck operator has been killed while assisting a driver.
On Dec. 3, a 42-year-old man from Kitchener was hit by a blue commercial tractor trailer while helping a stranded motorist on Highway 401. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
In that case, the driver of the truck, a man from Mount Hope, Ont., has been charged with dangerous operation causing death and failure to stop after an accident causing death.
That tow truck operator’s death led to calls from the industry for drivers to slow down near tow trucks.
“It’s a small industry and we all know each other in one way or another. It’s always a concern because everybody knows it could be one of us, any day,” Gary Vandenheuvel, president of the Professional Towing Association of Ontario (PTAO), told CBC News.
“Whether it be on a local city street or whether it is on a major highway, people do not give us the respect to — and it’s the law — slow down and move over.”
