A tow truck driver in Colorado was forced to call for backup when his rig rolled off the road after being hit by a suspected distracted driver last week. The Mountain Recovery tow truck was hit by a car that swerved to miss stopped traffic, it then rolled three times before coming to a rest at the side of the road.
The crash occurred near the town of Lakewood, Colorado, after a driver swerved from their lane at the last minute to avoid slowing traffic ahead. When they quickly changed lanes, the driver of a white SUV crashed with the front of the Mountain Recovery tow truck, which hit the back of a pickup truck, rolled three times and came to a rest on the side of the highway. In total, the crash involved six cars.
Dashcam footage from inside the truck shows the shocking view the driver had, as well as the last minute move from the driver of the SUV that hit the front of the truck. The footage, which was shared by local news outlet CBS Colorado, also includes a view of the driver as they are tossed and turned in the aftermath of the crash. CBS reports:
The six-car pile-up happened Tuesday evening last week, which included a massive tow truck rolling three and a half times. The Lakewood Police Department confirmed one driver was cited with careless driving and no proof of insurance. Two people were sent to the hospital with minor injuries – one was the tow truck driver, Dean, who had some serious whiplash and a broken finger – but both patients were released.
The truck’s owner, Charlie Stubblefield, says the recovery vehicle now looks as if it’s been “through the crusher” as its front end is as “crumpled as it gets,” he told CBS News. He also suggested that the six-vehicle crash could have caused “multi-million dollars” worth of damage, which could mean that a hefty bill is on its way to the uninsured driver that caused the collision.
Police in Lakewood have not identified the driver of the white SUV that caused the pileup, however they have now been hit with careless driving charges.