Inspection Detail

Inspection: 306748641 - Michael Koon Dba Mike'S Auto Repair

Inspection Information - Office: Jacksonville Area Office

Investigation Summary

On January 18, 2004, Employees #1 and #2, both tow truck operators, responded together in a Class "C" tow truck to a location on Interstate 10 where a tractor trailer truck was stuck in the median strip. The median strip was about 63 ft wide. The truck was located about 20 ft from the nearest east bound lane. The tow truck was parked about 66 ft in front of the truck, and was located about 2.5 ft from the nearest east bound lane. A beacon light and two strobe lights were operating on the cab of the tow truck, as were the lights on the boom and at the rear of the tow truck. Employees #1 and #2 were not wearing highly reflective vests or clothing. They pulled the cable from the tow truck to the front of the truck, and then positioned themselves between the truck and the tow truck. At this time, another tractor trailer truck was on driving east on Interstate 10 with its cruise control set at 70 miles per hour, following a passenger vehicle. When the driver of the passenger vehicle sharply braked, the following truck steered to the left to prevent a collision. The truck drove between the stuck truck and the parked tow truck, striking Employees #1 and #2, and eventually stopped approximately 240 ft beyond them. Employee #1 was killed, and Employee #2 was hospitalized for fractured legs.

Keywords: FRACTURE, TRUCK, STRUCK BY, TOW TRUCK, TRACTOR TRAILER, REFLECTIVE VEST, LEG