HOUSTON – The tow truck operator who was hit and killed while helping a stranded driver on Saturday morning has been identified by family members.

Timothy Perkins, 33, was killed on Highway 290 near Pinemont in northwest Houston.

According to a spokesperson from AAA, he was hit around 2 a.m. while standing on the side of the road, loading the stranded driver’s vehicle onto his tow truck.

Timothy worked as an independent tow truck driver for AAA. His family says he had been with the company for two years.

Law enforcement officers said the driver that hit the operator left the scene immediately afterward. Authorities have not released any information on that person.