Monday, November 26, 2012

Rest in Peace Timothy Kimble (48)


Rest in Peace Timothy Kimble (48)









BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A dispute over a towed vehicle has left two men dead in Birmingham.
Police identify the dead as 21-year-old Roderious Smith of Fairfield and 48-year-old Timothy Kimble of Birmingham.
Police say the men began arguing after Kimble towed Smith's broken-down vehicle off a road to a house where the shooting occurred.
Shots rang out as the dispute got worse between Smith and another person who was riding with the tow-truck driver. Both Kimble and Smith were hit.
Kimble was dead at the house, and Smith died later at a hospital.
Police say they haven't made any arrests.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Rest in Peace Todd Showell (45)


Rest in Peace Todd Showell (45)





Sumter, SC (WLTX) -- Sumter deputies have arrested a man they say killed a person trying to repossess his car.
Alton Shelley, 81, has been charged with murder.
Officers say just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, officers got a call of a shooting on Fletcher Drive. When they arrived they found a black wrecker truck in the middle of the road. The driver, 45-year-old Todd Showell, was dead.
According to investigators, Showell and another man had come to the home to repossess Shelley's vehicle, but Shelley told them they had the wrong one. Deputies say the men were driving off without the vehicle when Shelley fired shots, hitting Showell.
Sheriff Dennis says the shooting remains under investigation.

Monday, November 19, 2012

33 Tow Truck Operators have been killed since January 2012


This is the official Respect Tow Truck Operators list of all the fallen tow truck operators since January 1st, 2012. I have been keeping this list since the beginning of the year. You are more than welcome to use it of course! Just please give our page a little bit of credit for the hard work and dedication RTTO puts into it. Thanks all!
Also if there is anyone who has passed away IN THE LINE OF DUTY, please send me a email with the date, name, and location and it will be gladly added! (amandaofrtto@gmail.com or visit https://www.facebook.com/respecttowtruckoperators)

Number of Tow Truck Operators killed: 33

January 2nd - Joseph Ricciardelli - Boynton Beach, FL
January 4th - Andrew Smith - Duncannon, PA
January 17th - Paul Rocheleau - LaSalle, Ontario, CANADA
February 15th - Geoffrey Clark - Sydney, Australia
February 27th - Claude Cash - Madison Heights, VA
March 20th - David Robinson Jr. - Auburn, CA
March 30th - Jesus Salcedo - Colton, CA
April 5th - Adam Moody - Pontiac, MI
April 12th - James Coffey - Timmonsville, SC
April 17th - David Bense Sr. - St. Louis, MO
May 4th - Jose Martinez - Dallas, TX
May 6th - Corddaryl Henley - Buffalo, NY
May 10th - Max Vallejo - Chicago, IL
May 18th - Randall Littlejohn - Elk Mountain, WY
June 28th - Charles P. Oswald - Schnecksville, PA
July 7th - Howard White - Bagdad, KY
July 9th - Scott Hinchliffe - Madeira Beach, FL
July 14th - Herol Sinong - Serian, Malaysia
July 21st - Terry McCart - Jacksonville, FL
July 24th - Billy Wayne Wooten - Greenville, TX
July 27th - Travis Lee Danner - San Antonio, TX
July 28th - Charles Rash Sr. - Humble, TX
August 1st - Winston Gant - Chattanooga, TN
August 27th - Blake Gresham - Smithville, MO
August 30th - Gregory Alan Parker - Picayune, MS
September 9th - Cory Salisbury - Amherstburg, Ontario, CANADA
September 21st - Clifton Scott - Kansas City, MO
September 29th - William Houck - Columbus, OH
October 6th - James Johnson - North Bend, OH
October 6th - Ken Kallmeyer - Villa Hills, KY
October 31st - David Scarborough - Woodland Mills, TN
November 4th - John Junior Colville - Wilmington, NC
November 19th - Larry Schofield - Gillette, WY

Rest in Peace Larry Schofield (65)


Rest in Peace Larry Schofield (65)







One Gillette man was dead and another one was in jail waiting to be charged with a crime Monday morning following a hit-and-run wreck.
Highway Patrol troopers say Larry Schofield, 65, was killed instantly while operating his tow truck Sunday night alongside Interstate 90 when a suspected drunken driver hit him.
Schofield, who worked for Camel Towing, had been called at 8:10 p.m. to tow a van that was disabled after it hit a deer at the end of the eastbound on-ramp to the interstate from South Douglas Highway. The van Schofield was towing wasn’t in traffic and he had just begun to run the controls on the driver’s side of his truck to hoist the van when he was hit, according to Highway Patrol Lt. Will Zilka.
A handful of emergency vehicles were at the scene — all with their emergency lights flashing — when Schofield was hit, according to Zilka.
Schofield, whose truck was well off of the roadway near the end of the on-ramp, had little or no time to react before he was hit.
“I can’t see how he could have gotten out of the way,” Zilka said.
Troopers say that Justin L. Helsper, 28, was headed east on the interstate but failed to move over or slow his silver 2001 Chevrolet pickup before he hit Schofield. Helsper continued to drive east toward his home near American Ranch Road, Zilka said.
He was arrested a short time later on suspicion of aggravated vehicular homicide, a felony.
A trooper who was at the scene when it happened, called another nearby trooper who saw Helsper’s truck a few miles east of the wreck. That trooper followed Helsper for about a half mile, observing that his passenger side headlight was broken and there was blood on his truck, before pulling him over.
Zilka described Helsper as “very intoxicated,” although the man refused to participate in field sobriety maneuvers or to take a Breathylizer test. After arresting him, the troopers submitted and were granted a warrant to take Helsper’s blood for analysis to determine whether he was drinking and driving.
A crash reconstructionist was working on determining the particulars of the wreck Monday morning. Troopers are unsure exactly how fast Helsper was driving when he hit Schofield, but say he made no effort to move over to the left-hand lane, nor did he slow his truck before passing the tow truck.
“There was nothing preventing him from moving to the left or from slowing down for that matter,” Zilka said. “We have no reason to believe he was going less than that (the speed limit). When people make those decisions, it costs everybody.”
Both sheriff’s deputies and police officers responded to help the Highway Patrol with the wreck.
Police closed the interstate and sent traffic around the scene for about four hours, Police Sgt. Dirk Blackmer said.
Troopers collected a variety of evidence for their case against Helsper, including video of his truck in the area, Zilka said.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

32 Tow Truck Operators killed since January 2012


This is the official Respect Tow Truck Operators list of all the fallen tow truck operators since January 1st, 2012. I have been keeping this list since the beginning of the year. You are more than welcome to use it of course! Just please give our page a little bit of credit for the hard work and dedication we put it. Thanks all!
https://www.facebook.com/respecttowtruckoperators

Also if there is anyone who has passed away IN THE LINE OF DUTY, please send me a email (amandaofrtto@gmail.com) with the date, name, and location and it will be gladly added!

Number of Tow Truck Operators killed as of 11/07/12: 32

January 2nd - Joseph Ricciardelli - Boynton Beach, FL
January 4th - Andrew Smith - Duncannon, PA
January 17th - Paul Rocheleau - LaSalle, Ontario, CANADA
February 15th - Geoffrey Clark - Sydney, Australia
February 27th - Claude Cash - Madison Heights, VA
March 20th - David Robinson Jr. - Auburn, CA
March 30th - Jesus Salcedo - Colton, CA
April 5th - Adam Moody - Pontiac, MI
April 12th - James Coffey - Timmonsville, SC
April 17th - David Bense Sr. - St. Louis, MO
May 4th - Jose Martinez - Dallas, TX
May 6th - Corddaryl Henley - Buffalo, NY
May 10th - Max Vallejo - Chicago, IL
May 18th - Randall Littlejohn - Elk Mountain, WY
June 28th - Charles P. Oswald - Schnecksville, PA
July 7th - Howard White - Bagdad, KY
July 9th - Scott Hinchliffe - Madeira Beach, FL
July 14th - Herol Sinong - Serian, Malaysia
July 21st - Terry McCart - Jacksonville, FL
July 24th - Billy Wayne Wooten - Greenville, TX
July 27th - Travis Lee Danner - San Antonio, TX
July 28th - Charles Rash Sr. - Humble, TX
August 1st - Winston Gant - Chattanooga, TN
August 27th - Blake Gresham - Smithville, MO
August 30th - Gregory Alan Parker - Picayune, MS
September 9th - Cory Salisbury - Amherstburg, Ontario, CANADA
September 21st - Clifton Scott - Kansas City, MO
September 29th - William Houck - Columbus, OH
October 6th - James Johnson - North Bend, OH
October 6th - Ken Kallmeyer - Villa Hills, KY
October 31st - David Scarborough - Woodland Mills, TN
November 4th - John Junior Colville - Wilmington, NC

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Rest in Peace John Junior Colville (55)

Rest in Peace John Junior Colville (55)

https://www.facebook.com/notes/respect-tow-truck-operators/rest-in-peace-john-junior-colville-55/10152248252115051 

  WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- Highway Patrol says one person is dead and another is behind bars after a hit and run on Carolina Beach Road at McQuillan Drive Sunday night.
Anthony Thompson, 50, is charged with second degree murder after hitting John Junior Colville, 55, and then driving away from the accident. Thompson is also charged with driving while impaired, habitual impaired driving, driving while license revoked and hit and run with injury. He is being held in New Hanover County jail under a $1 million secured bond.
Witnesses say Colville was helping a woman change her tire when he was hit and thrown into the air. He later died from his injuries. Wayne's Towing in Wilmington did not want to comment.
According to Department of Public Safety records, Thompson has faced up to eight charges for driving while impaired and at least two charges of failure to stop for an accident.

Rest in Peace David Scarborough (35)

Rest in Peace David Scarborough (35)

https://www.facebook.com/notes/respect-tow-truck-operators/rest-in-peace-david-scarborough-35/10152248288620051 

A Union City wrecker service owner has died after apparently being struck by a vehicle in Weakley County. David Scarborough, 35, of Woodland Mills died early today at Regional Medical Center (the Med) in Memphis as a result of injuries sustained in an accident late Wednesday night in Weakley County. Scarborough operated a towing and recovery service in Union City and sources have indicated the accident occurred on Highway 22 in Weakley County, reportedly while he was loading a vehicle.

He apparently was airlifted to the Memphis hospital following the accident.
No details were available yet at press time today from the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Jackson District, which includes Weakley County, and the Tennessee Department of Safety’s public information officer had not yet received any details.
The Department of Safety spokesman said only that it was a two-vehicle crash and he speculated one of the vehicles was stopped or pulled over on the side of the roadway when it was struck.