A local wrecker service was involved in a major accident Sunday night while loading a disabled vehicle on Highway 380.
Just before 8:00PM Sunday night, Hunt County EMS along with Caddo Mills Fire, Greenville Fire, Hunt County Sheriff’s Office & DPS were dispatched to the 2100 block of Highway 380 for reports of a major MVA involving a tow truck.
Early reports suggest a driver for Benson Brothers Wrecker Service was loading a disabled vehicle from the side of the roadway, when for an unknown reason a pick-up truck traveling down Highway 380 struck the stationary wrecker from behind, sending the truck that was being loaded, up and over the side of the wrecker bed, with the truck that hit the wrecker coming to a rest hanging halfway off the tow truck.
The driver of the wrecker saw the truck coming and realized it wasn’t going to move over. The wrecker driver who was only shaken up, was thankfully able to slide across the bed of the wrecker, rolling into the ditch to avoid being hit.
The driver of the truck that hit the wrecker was transported to the hospital in an unknown condition.
We would like to remind our followers that the #SlowDownMoveOver law applies to all emergency vehicles including tow trucks.
What is the Texas Move Over/Slow Down Law?
The Texas Move Over/Slow Down law, which went into effect in 2003, requires all Texas drivers to move one lane over, if possible, when approaching an emergency vehicle parked on the shoulder with warning lights in operation. If moving over isn’t practical or possible, drivers must slow down to at least 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit. In 2013, the state legislature expanded Move Over/Slow Down to include TxDOT vehicles & wreckers.
Drivers who fail to give emergency and work crews space to safely do their jobs can receive a ticket with a fine of up to $200. If there is a crash that causes injury to a worker, drivers can be fined up to $2,000.
This is all of the information we have available at this time. We will update as we learn more.
