Lighted Cross for Fallen Tower Raymond Mitchell
Friends, family, and co-workers of tow truck driver Raymond Mitchell, who was killed when a semi-truck driver crashed into him on the side of the highway, gathered near Kalama, Wash., on Friday evening, 9/24, to put up a lighted cross. The cross bears his nickname, "Tow Vulture," and the words "slow down, pull over."
Mitchell's friend and co-worker got the news about Mitchell while he was in a driving class.
"I was thankful to talk to him the night before. We talked about a sticker decal he made. About slow down, move over. I was sitting in a class for my CDL when I got the news. So it wasn't the best," said Kyle Widner.
Widner's hoping people will get the message when they see the cross at milepost 28 on Interstate 5.
Since December of last year, there have been four crashes involving tow trucks parked and helping disabled vehicles in Southwest Washington.Two drivers were injured, two others killed.
"Truly, people can just be careless anywhere. And while we don’t know the reason behind this most recent crash, impairment was involved in one of the crashes, and a poor choice was made in another. So it’s really hard to say why. I don’t know that there is a theme. But it’s been very unfortunate for the Southwest Washington community," said Jennifer Cook of AAA Washington.
Comments