Close call on an icy highway
VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A state trooper and a tow-truck driver had quite a scare on an icy highway Monday morning.
The trooper was working at the scene of a crash when a car barreled towards him on the icy and snowy roads. It happened Monday morning near South Haven on I-196.
According to state police, both the trooper and a tow-truck driver had a really close call, and it's amazing that the men escaped with their lives.
Lt. Eric Wimbley of the Michigan State Police recognizes that the winter means danger for his troopers out on West Michigan's roads. He told Newschannel 3 that three troopers have been hit or nearly hit in the last several days.
One of those troopers who was nearly hit had to dive to safety on I-196 when a car careened out of control and hit the back end of a wrecker that was tending to an accident.
"When drivers see an accident scene, they should slow down and move over and give the officers a chance to investigate the scene, because a lot of times they're outside the vehicle." said Lt. Wimbley.
The trooper escaped with minor injuries, but the towing company driver got the worst of it, and it's not something Bruce Robinson, of Harbor Towing, is happy about.
"The first thing is anger, because these drivers work very hard to be safe out on the highway, to be visible, and we do run across a lot of people who don't seem to care about what your diver is doing out there." said Robinson.
Robinson showed Newschannel 3 the damage to the wrecker and said his driver, Art Haynes, was at the rear loading controls when the car came right at him and the trooper.
Haynes ran for the front of the truck and was hit, while the trooper dived under the wrecker and out of the way. Robinson says every winter is treacherous for his drivers, since so many on the roads don't pay attention. Now with one of his drivers in the hospital, he has some advice.
"Somebody's life is not worth getting there five minutes sooner," Robinson said.
The driver who hit the towing company driver was cited for driving too fast for the conditions.
Robinson says his driver, Art Haynes, spent the afternoon being checked out at the hospital.
This wasn't the first time that Haynes has had a run in with a car, he was struck on New Year's Eve 2007 while responding to a wreck.
