Crash responders were hit 544 times in Minnesota over 2017-2021

Phil Henkemeyer says a remote control saved his legs and possibly spared his life.

Henkemeyer is a tow truck driver, and on Dec. 29 he was stopped on the shoulder of Interstate 94 near Avon, Minn., to pull a car out of a snowbank. He hooked up the marooned vehicle, grabbed his remote control from the cab and stepped away from his truck.

An instant later, another motorist driving at nearly 60 mph slammed into the back of his tow truck.

"It sounded like a big bang; I thought my truck rolled over," Henkemeyer said during a news conference at the Washington County Public Works facility to draw attention to National Crash Responder Safety Week, which began Monday. "Had I not been using a remote control, this would have taken both my legs off and the truck would have been pushed into me."

Henkemeyer, a manager with Collins Brothers Towing in St. Cloud, has been rescuing motorists in central Minnesota from spinouts and crash scenes for more than a decade. He said he loves his job, but also acknowledges it's dangerous.

"You just don't know when you are going to get hit," he said.

In the five-year period from 2017 to 2021, tow truck drivers like Henkemeyer and law enforcement, firefighters and others who have responded to roadside scenes have been involved in 544 crashes, leading to one death, according to Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths, the statewide traffic safety program of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Office of Traffic Safety.

It's those types of calls Henkemeyer responds to many times a day, especially when roads are slippery like on Monday.

"I don't look forward to winter," he said.

But collisions involving tow trucks and other vehicles with flashing lights stopped on the side of the road are not limited to Minnesota's most brutal months. More than half of crashes involving emergency vehicles occur during December, January and February, but spring and summer have their share, too, with 178 crashes over the five-year period happening between April and August. Another 123 happened between September and November, according to TZD data.

More than half of crashes involving stopped emergency vehicles happened in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, the data showed. Motorists were most likely to hit tow trucks, squads and other vehicles responding to incidents on city streets and local roads (312) and county roads (75).

With the theme "Respect Our Roadside Heroes," this week's campaign is aimed at reducing those crashes by reminding drivers to pay attention, look for flashing lights and slow down when approaching crash scenes.

"See flashing lights? Do what is right. Slow down, move over," the agency posted as part of its weekly Message Monday initiative to encourage motorists to drive safely.

The message comes from the state's Ted Foss Move Over Law, which was named for the state trooper who was hit and killed in August 2000 while conducting a traffic stop on I-90 near Lewiston, Minn. The law states motorists on roads with two or more lanes in the same direction must move one full lane away from stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights activated. Those include police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, tow trucks, maintenance and construction vehicles.

The violation is subject to a $100 fine plus court costs.

"Not everyone wonders if they will arrive home safely after they finish a day's work," said Sgt. Rick Dennison of West Hennepin Public Safety serving Maple Plain and Independence. "We are calling on the motoring public to be our partners to keep our roads safe."

Specifically, Dennison said drivers should have "horizon eyes," meaning they should have eyes on the road, pay attention for changing conditions and flashing lights, and slow down.

"All of us want to get home safely, to see our loved ones and friends again," said Kristine Hernandez, the state's TZD coordinator. "So do the incident or crash responders who risk their safety to help others."

Henkemeyer was able to go home after his close call, and a few days later learned his wife was pregnant with their first child. He now enjoys spending time with his son, who was born just over a month ago.