Tow truck driver struck and killed by snow plow in Arnprior
Police have identified a tow truck driver who was struck and killed by a snow plow on Monday in Arnprior as a 33-year-old man from Ottawa.
The man was struck on the westbound Highway 417 under the White Lake Road overpass around 12:25 p.m.
Police say a westbound snow plow struck the tow truck operator while he was helping another driver. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Tuesday, OPP identified him as Phillip Smith of Ottawa. A statement from Fraser’s Towing and Recovery in Arnprior said he was a father of two.
“He was a loving father of two young children and will be missed deeply by his family,” the statement said.
"He was just at the end of an on ramp. Plow was plowing and he was winching, and something happened, they didn't see one another," said Tom Hanniman, owner of Dwaine's Towing. "I've had guys drive by cars in the ditch yesterday because they couldn't see them because the visibility was that bad. So that tells you, if you can't see from the road to the fence, how are you going to see traffic in front of you?"
The statement also implored people to slow down and move over when they see emergency lights on the road.
“It’s extremely important that people slow down and move over when they see any emergency lights,” the statement said. “We are all out there just trying to help everyone as safely as we can but everyone needs to help out when it comes to seeing emergency lights. Unfortunately this gets ignored on a daily basis.”
Gary Vandenheuvel, a representative for the Provincial Towing Association of Ontario says, "In North America every six days there is a tow operator either stuck and injured or stuck and killed. Every six days.
"It's a case of slow down, move over. When you see these lights, a tow truck on the side of the road or any flashing lights you need to get over and you need to slow down, especially in those conditions."
The highway was closed for several hours for the police investigation. The Ministry of Labour is also investigating the crash.
Monday’s blizzard saw a record 48 centimetres of snow dumped on Ottawa, with similar snowfall levels across the region.
"I feel for the family more than anything because you've got to go home to somebody, but he's not going home," Hanniman said. "It affects everybody. All tow truck drivers are like a big family, you know. And you know most of the people in the valley too."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What Michael Cohen said on the stand in Trump hush money case
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.’s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease’s progression.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
Behind the barricades: How protesters spend their first days in a new encampment
Students in Montreal describe life in a newly erected encampment in Montreal as a whirlwind of preparations, from facing rain and a potential police crackdown to setting up a space for the exchange of ideas.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Canucks' Soucy suspended 1 game, Zadorov fined $5,000 for post-game crosschecks on McDavid
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been suspended for a game and another was handed a hefty fine after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sues for defamation over National Enquirer, InTouch Weekly stories
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sued the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly on Monday for a story that she said falsely claimed that she was trying to help the Menendez brothers get a retrial after they were convicted of murdering their parents.