American Towing and Recovery Institute onThe Go
American Towing and Recovery Institute onThe Go
Road Warriors: Facing Life and Death in the Towing Business
Tragedy struck the towing industry multiple times in recent weeks as three tow operators lost their lives while performing roadside assistance. These deaths underscore the critical importance of Move Over laws that many drivers continue to ignore despite the fatal consequences.
From the heartbreaking stories of Ken Sopasto in Florida and Richard Rodriguez in New York—both killed while working roadside—to the harrowing account of an Oklahoma City tower who narrowly escaped death when his quick-thinking colleague pulled him from a burning truck, this episode explores the very real dangers towing professionals face daily. As one veteran tower put it, "You can wear all the fluorescent you want, have all the fancy flashing lights, have all the trucks behind you. All it takes is that one person not to pay attention."
Beyond safety concerns, the episode delves into troubling legal issues plaguing the industry. In Kansas City, a mother-son duo faces 18 felony charges for allegedly conducting illegal tows, falsifying documents, and harassing vehicle owners. Meanwhile, in Australia, a woman received a shocking $5,000 bill for a routine tow—a predatory practice exploiting regulatory loopholes. The violence directed at towing operators continues as well, with three tow trucks mysteriously set ablaze overnight in Brampton, Ontario.
It's not all grim news, however, as Montana recently passed legislation giving towing vehicles preference in roundabouts, acknowledging the unique challenges these vehicles face. The American Towing Recovery Institute also announced numerous upcoming training opportunities across the country, including specialized sessions for handling electric vehicles through their new EV Clever app.
As we wrap each episode, the message becomes increasingly urgent: stay on the passenger side of your truck, remain vigilant, and prioritize safety above all else. The towing industry shouldn't have to count more fallen colleagues simply because drivers can't be bothered to move over or slow down. Have you witnessed drivers ignoring Move Over laws? What will it take to change this deadly behavior?
you're on the train to success with april and wes wilburn. I'm dj harrington, the co-host, better known as the toe doctor. We're all on our way to the town of proper towing and recovery, along with our producer, chuck camp, in the studio. Don't go to the town of woulda, coulda, shoulda. You coulda had done this. You should have done that. Listen every week to thought-provoking wisdom from great guests. So if you have Spotify, itunes, pandora, stitcher, iheartmedia or the number one podcast, or maybe Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts, turn in on Wednesday and be turned on all week long. If you are a state association and want your announcements or upcoming state association news announcements or upcoming state association news or maybe a co-show that's coming up, let us know. Our podcast studio phone number is 706-409-5603. I'm proud to be part of a great team at the american dorm recovery institute. Let's make 2025 our best year ever. I will turn it to April and Wes April how's everything going there?
Speaker 3:Everything is going great here. We are rocking and rolling. It's the spring of the year, so we're loaded up with passes. Wes is actually this week to get yesterday, today and tomorrow, so this will air a week later. But as of April the 22nd, 23, and tomorrow, so this will air a week later. But as of April the 22nd, 23rd and 24th, he's doing some classes for the State Towing Association. I'm going to say the state I always say it so badly Massachusetts. I cannot say that state, and he's doing that right now. So Wesley came in and hijacked the podcast studio. He's going to take over for his zero dad.
Speaker 1:Fantastic. Wesley is one of the sharpest young men I know and I know that when he starts teaching all his students will love Mr Wilburn.
Speaker 4:Thank you for that DJ.
Speaker 1:Well, you'll be a great teacher. I know that for a fact, Mr Wilburn. Thank you for that, DJ. Well, you'll be a great teacher. I know that for a fact, Wesley. So I guess you and I are talking about your dad's up in Massachusetts teaching April's there. So tell us a little bit about what we got looking forward to in this episode.
Speaker 4:Well, we got going to do a little talking, with me Going to do some news in a little bit and we'll go over the schedule, you know schedule updated classes and whatnot.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I think that's all we have for today, Anything else. Yeah, Wesley's got some really good stories that he's been doing research on and those will come up. And then the last three weeks we've been playing I call it calendar bingo as far as putting classes on the calendar and then moving it around and the same business we could hear. So that schedule that we had as of a month ago needs to get redone because there's been so much more added to it, and that's exciting for us. We're always happy to be busy, but we seem to be this year busier than ever, and that's a huge credit to Wes Wilburn, who's the name and he's the face. He's basically the guy that everybody wants to come and see. We're just happy to be here to help him get that moved along.
Speaker 1:Now April. I want to tell our listeners they had over about 150 attendees at the Florida Toe Show in your class we had dozens and dozens and dozens of them, and then we also made a special announcement.
Speaker 3:That's kind of still in the works, so when that all does like play out we will come back on and we'll do a whole episode on that too, but that's another exciting thing that we're looking forward to in our very, very near future.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, well, I heard the Florida Toe Show for you guys was fantastic. It was very. I enjoyed it. I've met so many good people and we got reunited with a bunch of people I've known over the years.
Speaker 3:Isn't it something with that show? I'm always happy to go, whether or not we do an event, whether or not we exhibit there or just we're just attendees for it. It is like a big family reunion. When you go, People you don't get to see all year, and if you can't go you got to skip a year. That's two more years in between Santa. And it's just it's an undertaking to get there. But once you're there it just kind of feels like it's a little bit at home, even though you're far away from your home.
Speaker 1:Well, I know one thing you and I and Wes had a great visit with Day Rochester, our newest sponsor. Yeah, she's a new sponsor, but we had a great time at her home, didn't she?
Speaker 3:Oh my goodness, Her humble abode, her very humble abode.
Speaker 1:And the food. Poor Westby wasn't there, but Westby, I'm going to tell you this guy, I love the food. There was barbecue, there was all. It was a buffet of buffets. It was excellent.
Speaker 3:And the two years ago that I went before it was the catered meal and it was very good, it was delicious. You were there to that one also. This one here I liked a little bit better because it was just more home down, you could eat your food, go back and get another serving and it was just good fellowship.
Speaker 1:Yes, and it was a great time. Yeah, A couple of years ago she had the presidential chef a chef from the president's White House actually came and cooked and it was more formal.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It was good food. It was great food. Yeah, it was good food.
Speaker 1:It was great food I agree with you, but this food was excellent.
Speaker 3:It was informal, it was casual, it was just like if you went to a family reunion. Yeah, it was just a very nice gathering.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I thought it was. It was just a. It was a very nice gathering. Yeah, it was. I thought it was great. She's, she's a real hostess and made everybody feel right at home, and no matter whether you had a gigantic tow facility or you only have one or two trucks, she made you feel like you were the king for the night.
Speaker 3:And I'm going to tell you another thing that Gay Rochester did for me, and this was the next day the Ladies Luncheon, which is always a big event, emily has been able to go a couple of times because we're normally doing something when we're there, so I had the luxury of attending that. She invited me to their table, which was a resort table, and she saved a seat for me to sit with her, like right beside her oh my yeah, that seat was right there.
Speaker 1:You know, everybody wants to step aside, gay yes, and I saw Ruthie Landau earlier that day, all dressed up in her leopard outfit yeah yeah she was a hot seat, hot seat, oh, she did she is the best. Ruthie does a wonderful job in that ladies luncheon and that's another one.
Speaker 3:I've seen her eight times from the beginning of us getting there until we left. Every time I've seen her, she walked up to me and hugged me.
Speaker 1:She's a wonderful.
Speaker 3:No, she's such a wonderful person.
Speaker 1:She and her husband are just wonderful people and they really are a key factor in Florida. They're just good people. Rochester surrounds herself just good people. Hey, Rochester, surround yourself with good people. But it was good seeing you and Wes and I enjoyed breaking bread with you. I sat right opposite you guys at the big table there, so it was nice.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and then I just wanted to do one shout-out to Mike Seaman, who runs that show, and I don't even know. We did a little show in Myrtle Beach. That was like a tenth of that and we knew what that undertaking was, and for him to pull this off every year is phenomenal and he treated us so well when we were there. He had other things to do and he had other considerations, but when it came down to it he made sure that we were looked after.
Speaker 1:You got it.
Speaker 3:All right, let's take a quick break and we will come back with our very special guest who has hijacked the podcast booth with Wesley Wilburn.
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Speaker 1:Welcome back listeners. Of course you know you're listening to the number one podcast the. American Towing Recovery Institute podcast, and this is a special edition. This is my time now to ask for the voice of Wes Wilburn. Best looking son Wesley Wesley, how are you? I'm doing well, dj.
Speaker 5:Thank you for that introduction. We have a story out of Kansas City of Metro Towing company owner and mother who has been legally towing cars. Falsifying forms now face 18 felonies.
Speaker 7:Some major allegations that came to light from the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office against Metro Tow and Transport. So take a look here. Donald Adamson owns Metro Tow and Transport and his mother, Lynette, is an employee at the business. Both are charged with stealing, forgery and harassment. Prosecutors accused the two of towing vehicles illegally without proper authorization, falsifying forms and trying to block owners from getting their cars back. Now, according to court documents, Kansas City police received numerous complaints about the company over the years. This is a very frustrating situation for so many people and some are happy to see some legal action.
Speaker 7:This mother and son duo have been allegedly taking advantage of people for years. That's according to the prosecutor's office and KCPD. As they say, hundreds of complaints have piled up, like high fees, people having a hard time getting their car back and even people who claim they stole their car. These court documents allege Metro tow submitted paperwork on towed cars with copies of signatures rather than an actual signature that is required by law. We met Lucas Diaz while he was trying to get his car back. He's frustrated. As he says it was towed Tuesday morning from a spot he parks in often.
Speaker 8:I was not notified. I had to call. They were signs were not clearly displayed. I was to call. They were signs displayed that I was parc. He got told I have to cal was here he then had to.
Speaker 7:So I went up to the office a comment and before I co nothing to say, ok, thank you. Now we reached out to the city to find out what the next steps are for this business, as it is still open and have not heard back at this time since news has come out, more alleged victims have came out with claims ranging from bad tolls, illegal car sales to even hit and runs.
Speaker 5:Will keep you updated on the story. Here's a story of predatory towing out of Perth, australia, of a woman facing egregious charges.
Speaker 2:Perth is a driving city. People rely on their cars and every day hundreds need their vehicle towed when they break down or crash. Lisa dinged her car on the garage door at home in Perth South. She then drove it to work in a neighbouring suburb where a tow truck picked it up. She then got a bill for $5,000. That was four weeks ago. The tow company still has her car locked in their yard.
Speaker 2:The government recently set a limit of $485 as the fee for towing a car from a crash in the metro area. The company stinging Lisa five grand says it isn't breaking any rules because Lisa's car was picked up at work 13km from her home where she hit the garage door. Under the rules, the price cap applies for towies collecting a car from within two kilometres of a crash site. When a tow truck arrived she thought it was sent by her insurer, rac. It wasn't.
Speaker 2:Lisa signed a release form from King Tow without a specified price, but she didn't read the fine print which warned she could be charged up to $7,000. She doesn't know how King Tow got her details or how the business even knew she needed a tow. Look, I can't comment on individual cases, but I know that they have been working with the operator to try and get their car back and we are providing assistance. Rac wouldn't go into specifics but said unfortunately there remain unregulated spaces where we are seeing instances of unreasonable behaviour and practices by some towing operators. The Department of Transport says it is unacceptable that rogue tow truck operators are still finding ways to exploit innocent motorists.
Speaker 5:Now King's Towing is a small, family-owned business and say these charges are to be paid by RAC. Now Kings and RAC is now in a legal dispute and we'll keep you updated on the case. Here's another story about the tow truck violence happening in Ontario, this time in Brampton, with three tow trucks being set on fire overnight.
Speaker 10:We begin with a concerning incident taking place in Peel Region. Emergency crews in Brampton had a busy night after three separate tow trucks were set on fire. Peel Police say that two of the tow truck fires occurred on Buffridge Trail around 1 am, while the third truck was set on fire on nearby Venetian Terr terrace shortly after. Our camera is capturing the aftermath of that Now. Luckily, no injuries have been reported, but all three fires are now under investigation and are considered suspicious. One of the trucks was set on fire while parked in a driveway and neighbors say it sounded like a bomb went off.
Speaker 5:Police at this time say the three are not linked together, but we'll keep you updated on the case. These next two stories show the sad side of towing with deaths while doing your job. This story is out of Florida on US 27, where tow truck operator Ken Sopasto lost his life.
Speaker 11:Ken Sopasto was more than just a tow truck driver. He was a cherished friend and mentor to many in LaBelle and across southwest Florida, and news of his passing has sparked outrage and sorrow.
Speaker 8:This shouldn't have happened, but the towing industry is becoming to be one of the most dangerous industries you can be in anymore.
Speaker 11:Shane Freed a friend who told me Ken was more like family issues you can be in anymore.
Speaker 8:Shane Freed, a friend who told me Ken was more like family. We used to play together in the woods, we built trucks together and just played in the mud, and we built businesses together and it's a whole other family, you know, and he's just an amazing person.
Speaker 11:Troopers say Sospato was killed on US Highway 27 in Highland County on Monday when he was stopped in outside of his tow truck when a vehicle veered to the right and struck him and something a longtime tow truck driver said that this should not happen with Florida's move over law which requires drivers to either change lanes or reduce their speed when approaching emergency vehicles or roadside workers, but says he knows firsthand about the dangers on the road Been hit on the shoulder twice, or on the side of the road twice, and I've probably gotten hit by about five mirrors.
Speaker 11:And that's why this law is so important to follow.
Speaker 9:People. Not paying attention makes our life that much harder at work and riskier. You can wear all the fluorescent you want, you have all the fancy flashing lights that you want, you have all the trucks behind you. All it takes is that one person not to pay attention.
Speaker 5:This one comes out of Long Island, New York. Richard Rodriguez, federal tow truck operator, was fatally struck when helping an SUV on the side of the road on Sunrise Highway.
Speaker 12:Now know a tow truck driver was killed in a crash that shut down parts of Sunrise Highway for hours. In Bayshore, 32-year-old Richard Rodriguez was hit while trying to load a broken down car onto a tow truck yesterday. Police say he was standing on the shoulder of the westbound lanes near Brentwood Road around 1.30 when 38-year-old Anthony Lacalze hit him. That driver was not hurt. Rodriguez died at that scene.
Speaker 5:Howsey hit him. That driver was not hurt. Rodriguez died at that scene. Richard was a father of two daughters and we pray for all of the families of fallen tow operators. Here's a surprising story out of Oklahoma City where a tow truck driver credits his co-worker for saving his life during a fiery crash when a truck hit a tow truck's gas tank, setting the car on a blaze.
Speaker 13:If it wasn't for my co-worker and God, I probably wouldn't be here. His co-worker, Mason, was following him in another tow truck on the way to a call in OKC. Just seconds after the collision at Southwest 44th and Rancho Drive, Mason knew he didn't have much time.
Speaker 8:He rushed over, opened my door and helped me out and I asked him I'm like man, what happened? He said this truck just came out of nowhere and hit you. I was like where did he come from? I never saw him, never saw his lights.
Speaker 9:I parked the truck as fast as I could and rushed over there and got him out and made sure he was okay breathing alive.
Speaker 13:Oklahoma City police say the suspect driver in the pickup that caused the crash was involved in another crash at Southwest 44th and Blackwelder but left the scene. The driver kept running stop signs and eventually slammed into Corey's tow truck.
Speaker 8:I went to grab the steering wheel to pull myself up, to find out what happened and I was covered in flames and smoke and all I see in my truck looked like I was in a tornado. I was just spinning.
Speaker 13:Mason said the firefighters were there extremely fast but he knew he had to go through fire to save his friend.
Speaker 9:I think the only part that was not on fire was that passenger door. Able to get my hand around that handle. That was it.
Speaker 13:Now. The two people in that pickup truck did not survive. They later passed away at the hospital. However, corey and Mason were both back at work the next day and once again, they were not injured.
Speaker 5:We end this segment with news out of Montana, where a House bill unanimously passed addressing how vehicles approached roundabouts, adding stipulations into the law giving preference for vehicles hauling or towing. The Senate Bill 433 brought by Senator Teresa Manzella, republican out of Hamilton, changes regulations for how vehicles approach roundabouts. Hauling or towing vehicles will legally be allowed to deviate from their lane to move through a traffic circle. Other vehicles in the roundabout must yield to hauling vehicles. The bill will also have an impact on double lane roundabouts which can be used on four-lane highways. It allows trailers to legally deviate from one of the lanes. After a final procedure approval in the House, the bill will head to the Governor's desk. This is Towing News Now.
Speaker 1:Boy Towing news channel is getting bigger and bigger and the towing news wesley did a great job this episode, but we're gonna have the upcoming dates and we'll listen to them right now coming up well.
Speaker 4:First of all, we just got back from massachusetts. I did three night classes thanks scott perlow from Rapid Recovery in New York. He rode along with me, helped me get there, helped make the classes a whole lot better, came home and gave me a bunch of ideas and not only ideas, but the factual information to back it up, to make that four hour easy training and certification class that we just introduced, Make that thing really, really pop.
Speaker 4:And we're going to do another one of those coming up here at the end of May in Thomasville, North Carolina. We're also going to be in St Louis, Missouri, for a one-day light duty on May the 16th, 17th, 18th, which is a Saturday Sunday. It's going to be a two-day heavy. 17th 18th, which is a Saturday Sunday. It's going to be a two-day heavy. We're also going to be at the New York Toe Show, the Esther Show we're going to do the auction on Friday night.
Speaker 4:Sponsor that again, we're happy to be there to do that. And Wednesday night we're putting together a date for Albany, new York, for that four-hour electric vehicle class. So for Raphael, one of our attendees there at the math class, we'll bring it up to New York while we're there doing the show as well Then we're also in Ohio June 20th for the evening class in the evening and 21-22 for the two-day heavy duty.
Speaker 4:Medford, oregon is July 18th for light duty, 19th and 20th for heavy duty and we've got a bunch more dates past that. We'll kind of go over them next time we're together. I thank our listeners. We're going to hang around.
Speaker 14:For electric and other alternative fuel vehicles. We have developed an app that gives you all the manufacturer's 411 for when that 911 happens, whether you are a fire tow or police, we got you covered.
Speaker 5:To find the EV Clever app, go to your Apple or Google Play store for a 30-day free trial the National Tow Operator Certification, an independently sourced virtual testing program covering light duty, heavy duty, electric and alternative fuel vehicle.
Speaker 1:So, april, as we come to the end of this podcast, what's one of the things you want to remind all of our listeners?
Speaker 3:In this podcast we have highlighted, unfortunately, at least three tow or down deaths that's happened in the last week and a half, Week to week and a half. So my emphasis on this is please, everybody, please, if you can't, stay on that passenger side of the truck and be safe and be careful.
Speaker 4:Boy, I agree with you April.
Speaker 1:This was an episode that touched on a lot of tragedy in our industry. We all know we can prevent it by safety. Safety comes first. We want everyone to come home to their loved ones every night when they leave and if Wentz was on the podcast he'd say be safe out there and we'll see you next time. On the Koei News.
Speaker 4:Channel Podcast.