The vehicle was so close that Ben Honcoop could feel the rush of wind hit his coveralls as the car sped by.
Owner of Ben鈥檚 Towing in Salmon Arm and a veteran of the industry for more than 45 years, Honcoop was working at the scene of an accident on Jan. 19 across from the entrance to Haney House on Highway 97B.
Two vehicles were down the bank, a FedEx van and a pickup truck, and he arrived with his large tow truck to pull them both up.
Police were on scene, one police car with flashing lights at the bottom of the hill and the other down from Paws for Play Kennels, directing traffic. Signs to notify drivers had been placed on the road.
Traffic was reduced to single lane to accommodate the work of the crew and their trucks on the side of the road.
Suddenly a northbound vehicle drove right past the officer, despite being motioned to stop.
鈥淭he officer on the lower side saw the vehicle coming and he screamed at me,鈥� says Honcoop.
It was nearly upon him, and zoomed by 鈥� a small grey car.
It was going so fast, no one was able to get a proper description or a licence plate number.
鈥淚t was lucky I didn鈥檛 get hit,鈥� Honcoop says. 鈥淭his type of thing goes on a lot more than you realize鈥� My guys have had close misses, lots of them.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge issue. People don鈥檛 slow down. People don鈥檛 adhere to laws anymore. Everybody seems to be in such a hurry. 鈥榃ell you鈥檙e in my way, I鈥檝e got to get around you.鈥欌��
He says all roadside workers experience it, from paramedics to police to highways and construction crews.
The public is just not watching what they鈥檙e doing, Honcoop says.
鈥淧ut their own family out on the road and then see what they think.鈥�
Last summer a flagger his company had hired to flag one night between Sicamous and Salmon Arm was nearly hit.
鈥淪he just about got ran over. She had to jump in the ditch.鈥�
Honcoop remembers the closest fatality in the area involving a tow truck. One of the drivers at Vernon Towing was killed several year ago near Predator Ridge despite having all the lights flashing on his tow truck.
Ken McLachlan, owner of Vernon Towing, remembers that day far too well.
鈥淒ecember 13th, 2006.鈥�
Ernie Semkiw was about 10 kilometres south of Vernon, assisting with a broken-down vehicle driven by a BCAA member, when he was struck by the mirror of a passing moving van and killed.
Prior to that, about 15 years earlier, a driver of a 91大黄鸭 tow truck was killed while loading a disabled vehicle onto his truck when a drunk driver rear-ended the vehicle, pinning him between it and his tow truck.
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McLachlan lists other crashes in the Lower Mainland in the past five years that have left tow truck drivers critically injured. He also points to Belle Bourroughs, the flagger struck on Highway 6 in November last year who died in December.
鈥淭hese things go on with some degree of frequency.鈥�
When Ernie Semkiw was killed, McLachlan vowed to Ernie鈥檚 widow Lynn that he was going to spearhead a movement to bring 鈥楽low down, move over鈥� legislation to B.C. It already existed in Alberta and other places across Canada, but not B.C.
And so began a letter-writing campaign, many meetings with politicians, paramedics, police, firefighters, lobbying of BCAA and ICBC to participate, and more. He says BCAA was tremendous in using whatever leverage and pull it had to further the cause.
In April 2009, he was contacted by the attorney general who told him 鈥渢he squeaky wheel had got the grease.鈥� The 鈥楽low down, move over鈥� provisions became law in B.C. in June that year.
The law applies for emergency and maintenance vehicles which have flashing red, blue or amber lights. If travelling in an 80 km/h or more zone where such vehicles are at work, drivers must slow to 70 km/h.
If the speed limit is less than 80, drivers must slow to 40 km/h. Failing to slow down and move over garners a $173 ticket and three penalty points.
Although McLachlan knows the law has undoubtedly saved lives, he wants to make the roads safer. Following a death, Saskatchewan has added blue flashing lights to tow trucks, to get drivers鈥� attention. McLachlan would like to see that change here.
But the biggest challenge, he says, is enforcement.
鈥淭he resources of police, they鈥檙e taxed to the limit.鈥�
Most times police can鈥檛 stay anymore if there鈥檚 an accident, he says, 鈥渟o we have to hire a flagging crew to extricate a vehicle out of the ditch that might only take 10 minutes.鈥�
He also would like to see limits on drivers who rent trucks. In parts of the U.S., he says, you can鈥檛 rent a vehicle any bigger than what you already drive.
The person driving the moving van that struck Ernie Semkiw was inexperienced.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a haunting thing over the last 12 years. It never goes away because those of us who were here that day, we commemorate it every year on the 13th. We hoist a pint or two to remember the day and remember the man.鈥�
marthawickett@saobserver.net
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