36 Towing Operators Added to Wall of the Fallen
The International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum added 36 new names to the Wall of the Fallen during its ninth annual ceremony honoring towing operators who have died while in the line of service.
Chattanooga, TN, September 18, 2015 (Newswire.com) - The International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum added 36 new names to the Wall of the Fallen during its ninth annual ceremony honoring towing operators who have died while in the line of service.
The names include those from previous years as the details of fatalities become known. In all, the Wall of the Fallen now has nearly 400 names of men and women who have lost their lives serving the towing and road service industry.
"Last year my senior driver died while recovering an accident, so I want you to know that I know how you feel."
Troy Barnett , President, International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum, and owner of Barnett's Towing in Phoenix, Az.
(See below for complete list of towing operator names added in 2015.)
One towing operator dies every six days while on the job, according to Jeffrey Godwin, chair of the museum’s Wall of the Fallen as well as its Survivor Fund.
The Wall of the Fallen ceremony seeks to honor towing operators whose lives were cut short and the Survivor Fund provides a one-time gift to the families. Survivors’ families also receive a Certificate of Honor.
The annual ceremony also aims to boost motorists’ awareness of Move Over laws in effect in all 50 states that require drivers either to move over one lane and/or slow down when approaching an emergency vehicle. Some – but not all – states designate tow trucks as emergency vehicles.
The motoring public’s failure to slow down or move over – in addition to drunken or negligent driving – each year unnecessarily claims many towers’ lives.
Museum President Troy Barnett acknowledged the difficulty of losing a driver at the beginning of this year’s ceremony. “Last year my senior driver died while recovering an accident,” said Barnett, also of Barnett’s Towing in Phoenix, Ariz. “So I want you to know that I know how you feel.”
Learn more about the Wall of the Fallen and the International Towing & Recovery Museum by visiting towingmuseum.com or contact Jeffrey Godwin, chair of the Wall of the Fallen and the Survivor Fund, at jgodwin@ftigroups.com or 817-379-0637.
2015 Wall of the Fallen
(in alphabetical order)
Name State Year of death
Jason E. Bailey Virginia 2014
John R. Barringer Texas 2014
Alfred E. Bliss Ohio 2015
Michael C. Bower California 2015
Jennifer W. Brown North Carolina 2014
Emmett Burton III Virginia 2014
Larry J. Caro Sr. California 2014
John A. Carpenter Jr. Ohio 2014
Ryan A. Everly California 2012
Sam Franks Jr. Alabama 2014
Denise E. Gajus Florida 2014
Robin A. Gandee Tennessee 1987
Duane K. Goodwill Ohio 2015
Leo J. Gortmaker South Dakota 2015
David R. Gutierrez California 1993
Eric G. Hodgson Canada 2015
Daniel C. Horbovetz Texas 2015
Jabar “Qasdano” Issa California 2015
Michael W. Kennedy Ohio 2015
Walid Mansour California 2003
Hicham Najdi Virginia 2014
Ricky G. Oliver Indiana 2015
Sergio Orosco California 2015
Jerry W. Pineiro California 1993
Jeffrey A. Rackley North Carolina 2014
Shaun Riddle California 2012
Jesus J. Salcedo California 2012
Timothy D. Schroeder California 2008
Robert D. Snyder California 2014
Kevin J. St. Pierre Massachusetts 2015
José A. Torres-Laboy Puerto Rico 2014
Jewan W. Turner Sr. Kentucky 2014
Nathan E. Walsh Wisconsin 2014
Wayne F. Williams Jr. South Carolina 1997
Bryan “Keith” Yeager Texas 2014
Raymond A. Zabala III California 201