THE LONELY TOWMAN The Last Link In The Chain Foreword I have been a Tow Operator for almost 15 years now. Most of my work is Police Towing for two small towns. I cover 7 days 24 hours, and most of us work alone. Our only help is brother operators and sometimes a welcome hand from a Police Officer or Firefighter. This is not intended to discredit any training, performance, or dedication of any person working with us in the Emergency field. My past includes many years as an E.M.T. Ambulance, Firefighter, Civil Defense and Highway Dept cleanup and make safe crew. The point to be made is we are not ambulance chasers, we must be called by the Police to work, and many people feel once we hook a car, we can just sit back and wait to get rich on each job. Many feel we are just as cold and unfeeling as the trucks we operate. We have a lot more to cope with and handle than what the public feels is just a money making mechanical function. Our biggest fear is arriving at a scene and finding one of ours or someone close has been involved. No one is exempt. Read on--- A lot of our work is simple, arrests, unlicensed, expired papers, warrants etc. Just hook and go. But 25% of these people don't want to claim their cars or even release them to me. There are a lot of accidents of varying degrees, some involve a lot of engineering and recovery work. Many people don't realize how much being a full time tow operator can run your life. You and your equipment must be ready to roll on an emergency at the ring of the phone. your life and movements are controlled by your place on the rotation list. Real time off does not exist; (A), No work no pay; (B),Police depts. don't like unavailable drivers cluttering up the list. We are not like the person working a shift in a shop and towing only during those hours. We cannot plan ahead, and spend a lot of time listening to a scanner to keep track of the rotation. It may take several attempts just to get the list right to go out for a meal. Visiting can't be too far away, and call forwarding and a radio are a must. When you invite people in for a meal or a party, Murphy will be sure you get a call just a few minutes before the food is ready. You have to go, sick, hurt or lazy, as too many refusals end your career. You can't function without understanding family and friends. How often do you see a Towman get any direct credit in the Media? We sometimes have to assist in ripping open cars to access victims. Pull it out of a building as a fire is starting, We have even had to do hookups in the water, not knowing if there is still someone inside. The public has a morbid curiosity. It is impossible to keep them at a safe distance, in case of a cable breaking, or something not falling the way you had planned. Once the recovery is complete, or the victim is removed, 200 onlookers can disappear in 15 seconds. Many times due to my past, the police call me out with the ambulance and rescue unit to provide an extra hand, and a truck to lift, pull or stabilize. Once you are there sometimes there is quite a wait before you can do the tow. This is how I ended up here tonight, sitting on a stone wall with an old man. having a smoke, shielded from the summer rain by a thick maple tree. It sounds a little like the words of Tom T. Halls song. Old dogs, children and watermelon wine. Night workers are a different and close group of people. We have an unspoken understanding and sense of protection, for each other. We, the ones taken for granted, out doing our jobs while the rest of the world sleeps. Included are the Emergency service people, the store and gas cashiers, the all night taxi drivers and more. We look out for each other, understanding what it is like to spend much of a long night on your own. Across the street lay the twisted, unrecognizable remains of a Camaro that slid into a large tree at about 80 mph The fire dept. worked frantically with the Jaws of Life, while I pulled the car away from the tree, and tried to take out some of it's U shape to better access victims. Tonight it was Emergency Team 0, Fate 1. The photos had been taken, the diagrams drawn, all that was left was to hook up, we were still waiting for the Medical Examiner and the Undertaker. How many times do you think you will see this, this season, asked the old man. Too many, maybe 1/2 a dozen more, not always this bad though, I answered. Many teens today think it is their birthright to demand their parents buy them a fancy car when they reach a certain milestone in life. A lot of these cars are over powered, and too much for even veteran drivers. You can't tell this to a 17 yr old though. In the hands of a Novice they become a Death trap. We learned as time passed, the parents reluctantly gave this boy his Dream Car as an incentive to go back to school for his senior year. It was delivered that afternoon, and it was too late to register and insure it. The boy could not wait. He grabbed a friend, a case of beer and a couple joints, and proceeded to cruise the town. You see them all the time, seat way back, baggy shorts, no shoes, cap on backwards, and the radio up so loud, they couldn't hear a Fire Truck beside them. They showed off for some time and then headed home, hopefully before the parents return. Couple an over powered car with speed, beer, and a new driver, coming into an unbanked curve, lined with unyielding 24- 36 inch across trees and you can imagine the results. In an instant the Camaro was heading side ways. The right door hit the tree, which pushed its way to the center of the car. The removable T-roof type top robbed some strength from the body, and the boy still had the gas to the floor. Air bags would have been no help, due to the direction of impact, and seat belts would not have done much, with the velocity of the tree entering the car sideways. No more than the first two letters of the planned string of expletives ever got a chance to leave their mouths. Again the old man questioned me. Do you ever get used to working with death and destruction? No, I answered, but when you have been around it as many years as I have, you do become hardened. A lot of people, including veteran Towmen cannot work with it. You just have to put your feelings aside, and go into a mechanical mode doing the job you are trained for. Some can do their job well and then go to pieces when they leave the scene. Some think I am cold and unfeeling, because I don't display any emotions while working a scene. Sometimes an accident will break through to me, but I contain myself in a lonely silence. The quiet of the night is settling in. Another cigar, the old man and me, with Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain coming from a house nearby. The Medical Examiner arrived, just a formality though. He took a quick look at the victims and the scene, asked the Police if they had photos and diagrams, and authorized the removal. He would follow up the next day. The undertaker was on standby, so it wasn't long before he arrived. I pulled on my gloves and went over to help load. As soon as the zippers were pulled the remaining onlookers departed into the night rain, as usual. Now it was time to hook up and try and tow this twisted mess home without calling for a ramp truck. It was a slow noisy ride, but we made it back to the yard. Most people think the story ends here, but is only the beginning. In the morning, the swarm of friends begin to arrive. They all want a look, and many of them will try and remove some type of small souvenir from the wreckage. Now my after accident work starts. Each time I have to go to the yard with a car, there it is, relive it. It is not generally a problem, except in a few cases. No amount of security, warning signs or enclosures keeps the curiosity seekers out. They all feel they are the only one stopping by, and feel they have the right to trespass, remove personal effects from the car, and strip something from it to take home. They climb over the fence, dig under it, sometimes they come with tools and pry off some boards to get in. Remember, I am trying to hold the victims belongings for the family to claim, and in some cases, preserve evidence for a continuing investigation. They just don't understand that their pawing, probing, moving contents, and removing items could have a real impact on an investigation to find the true cause of the accident. I have had several cases where it was unknown who was driving, until prints were taken, and hair embedded in the glass was compared to each victim. But they don't care, it is their "right" to climb through their friends bloody car and belongings. There is always one in the crowd to remark, Hell, this is nothing, remember last summer when Jimmy hit the cement truck? His car was a lot worse and he walked home. These are the same kids the school has to bring in counselors for, to show them how to "cope" with the loss. I would love to have the counselors peek in at these morbid, trespassing thieves, and see that all the counseling does is get them time off from lessons. Many think when a car is an Insurance total loss, that it is open season for stripping and stealing. They believe it just gets pressed or left with me. The Insurance company tries to get back some of their payout by auctioning the wrecks to rebuilders or parts dealers. When radios, tires, and parts are removed, their value can be deducted from the settlement, or backcharged to me. I am not talking about the common thieves, but of "heartbroken" friends and family, who don't see a problem if they take just one morbid memory from the wreck. Sometimes if the car is insured, I have no family contact. It just gets appraised and picked up for salvage auction. Sometimes the family wants to see the car. This can be worse than the wake. I stand off to one side with my faithful cigar, watching the parents and the time. Like clockwork, in about five minutes they walk over to me. It is almost like a script is handed out at the funeral. How long were you at the scene, did you see any sign of life? What was the road like, and do I feel speed or road conditions contributed? How many other bad ones have I seen at the location? Was there a chance of a second vehicle? Did it look like they suffered much, or was the end quick and merciful? Then they take a quick last look, and head back to their car. Many times you will see the people around town, you really want to ask how they are doing, but you never know if it is something best left alone. You just turn your head and change your direction of travel. Now comes the problem of the uninsured car as this one was. Contrary to belief, I cannot just make the car go away, even though it is a total loss. You need a release, the title, and you must be sure it is not collateral for a loan. Now you have to find the right time to contact the family. Too soon is not right, but the storage fee goes up every day. You would like to make a deal and hold the car until they come forward, but sympathy doesn't put food on the table. I might have about $200 in fees, but this family not only lost a son, but paid cash for the car, did not get to insure it, and are now looking at a $5000 plus loss, and my bill. The most they might recover shopping the junkyards would be less than $200. None of them want to take it home and try and do better selling parts for six months. So you take a chance and make a call, some are a little hostile, not realizing I want to help them settle before the bill gets any higher, Some are glad I gave them the nudge to settle one more detail. Now they come to meet me, the same standoff and viewing, the same questions. Then we have to start with what do you want to do with the remains? Another regular statement is, If you keep the car, why do I have to pay anything? There are some good parts left you could sell. I am not in the parts business, I don't have a repair shop where I might eventually use something. It is always a relief when a settlement is made and the car is removed. No more fence climbers until the next one. Also you know the family has one more detail out of the way. Lets get back to the night of the accident. Just dropping the car at the yard is not the end of the tow. I have to check again and see that I have all of my equipment, and enough gas to do another of any type if called soon. Time to head home and dry off and clean up. The sun has not quite poked up its head, maybe I can get a few hours sleep, I never did have much luck sleeping in the daylight, even with a long night behind me. The cats are trying to tell me it is time to be fed, but I convince them to wait for their mother who will be up in half an hour. Off with the clothes, into bed, RINNNG Hot phone line, grab phone in head of bed. Mornin' this is the Sgt. we have a bad head on just south of the lumberyard. Would you go down and see if you can help out at all? I don't know how long you might be tied up ------------- ************************************************************ If you would like to contact the author of this story, you may do so by calling into the Humanity Plus BBS (PCBoard) of Abington, Ma. at 617-982-3040. We Support modem speeds to 28,800 V-everything. 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