A CAA Manitoba tow truck driver suffered minor injuries on Monday when the side of his vehicle was clipped by a speeding motorist. It’s also the second time an incident like that has occurred in just over a year.
Liz Peters, CAA’s corporate communications manager, said the incident happened at around 10:30 a.m. after battery assist driver Jeff Laufer dropped off a member at home on Sherbrook Street near Cumberland Avenue.
A large vehicle sped by, clipped the side of the CAA truck and shattered its side-view mirror. Laufer suffered minor injuries to his left hand which was resting on the doorframe with the window unrolled when his truck was hit.
“Thankfully our driver wasn’t badly hurt and is trained to be cautious while working on the side of the road, but not everyone is as aware,” Peters said.
As is safety protocol, all emergency beacons were lit and flashing when the CAA truck was hit, with the driver pulled as close to the curb as possible.
Changes to the Highway Traffic Act will soon require motorists to slow down and move over when passing tow trucks and other emergency vehicles working on the side of the road.
In December 2012, a CAA tow truck driver had his truck grazed while responding to a call. Again, the side-view mirror was clipped, but the driver wasn’t injured in that incident.
