Are Houston Towing Guidelines leading to fatal tow truck wrecks?

After the late-night death of a Houston tow truck driver, some tow truck operators are speaking out about a rule that they claim puts lives at risk.

The accident happened around 1am, when two tow-truck drivers were rushing to a crash scene in northeast Houston.  The first tow truck, a Chevrolet owned by Zone 3 Collision, was headed east on Jensen when a Nissan 240SX changed lanes in front of the truck, causing it to sideswipe the car.

The accident caused the tow truck to veer off of the road and strike first a light pole then a sign pole.  As a result the truck flipped over, killing the driver. The driver’s name has not been released, but those who knew him say he had been driving tow trucks for over 20 years.  The incident is still under investigation, and no charges have yet been filed.

Why were the two tow trucks racing?  According to some, Houston guidelines state that only the first two wreckers on the scene of an accident will be paid.  This means that tow truck drivers have an incentive to race to the scene of an accident as fast as possible, to beat their competitors and get paid.

This intense competition for business has led some to believe that the city guidelines should be loosened, allowing for more wreckers to be compensated for arriving at a freeway accident.  However, this may not be realistic given current economic conditions.

There has to be a better answer.  Whatever city leaders decide, something should be done so that tow truck drivers are not rewarded for putting their lives – and the lives of innocent motorists – at risk.