Massachusetts: • Tow truck drivers hold move-over rally in Brockton
One by one, the tow truck drivers drove into Brockton on Sunday to show their support for one of their own. One-hundred tow trucks from across New England lined up at the Brockton Fairgrounds for a fundraiser to help Jon Tetreault, 33, a Wareham father of five and tow truck operator who is fighting for his life.
Tetreault, who is in a medically induced coma, was critically injured when he was struck by a car last Sunday while servicing a vehicle on the highway. The driver of the Honda Civic that struck him is facing charges.
“We’re just hoping each day gets a little better,” Tetreault’s brother, Ray Rouke, 36, said Sunday at the Brockton Fairgrounds, while surrounded by tow trucks and a large American flag.
The event was held to raise money for Tetreault’s medical bills and to raise awareness for the Move Over Law, which was enacted in 2009 to protect first responders and tow operators from similar incidents, organizers said.
The law “requires drivers approaching a stationary emergency or maintenance vehicle with flashing lights to move to the next adjacent lane if it is safe to do so, and, barring that, to reduce their speed.” Those who do not could face a fine of up to $100.
Marc Whitney, owner of Marc’s Auto Service in Wareham where Tetreault has worked for about a month, on Sunday called for motorists “to be more aware of their surroundings.”
“People nowadays, they’re just in a rush to get anywhere,” Whitney said. “They can’t even yield coming onto the highway, let alone move over for someone who’s on the side of the road.”
Whitney called Tetreault an experienced tow truck driver who has worked in the industry for a decade.
“It’s scary,” Whitney said of the accident that critically injured Tetreault. “It woke up a lot of people.”
Rouke, a New Bedford resident, said his brother now represents a movement that aims to “get the message out there so that other families don’t have to go through what my family is going through right now.”
Joshua Cooke, owner of Open Roads Transportation Carriers in Milford, said he turned out Sunday to show his support for Tetreault and other tow truck drivers who have been injured or killed while on the job.
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