CARTER COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Wednesday on I-64 around mile marker 124 in Bath County 54-year-old Troy Caldwell was killed after being struck on the highway. Caldwell was a tow truck driver from Morehead. Other drivers who knew him say they'll miss his smile.
Bubba Johnson, the owner and operator of Bubba’s Towing and Recovery, says, "You always got a smile and a wave out of him going down the road."
Brian Scalf, who works for Halsey’s Towing, explains, "He really enjoys what he'd done and he really cared about his customers."
Kentucky State Police say Caldwell was loading a vehicle onto a rollback when a commercial truck hit him. Caldwell was pronounced dead at the scene. 29-year-old Shodmon Yuldashev was charged with tampering with physical evidence. The citation says he was actively watching YouTube on an ELD tablet. Safety is a growing concern for these drivers.
Scalf says, "You're inches away from a 70 to 80 mile an hour moving vehicle. And it's just you know; you never know when you're last tow's gonna be."
Johnson says he's working with local legislators to change safety laws to make it safer for towing companies in this area. One of the changes he says they'd like to see is the standardized yellow lighting. He believes that if those lights were blue things would get a lot safer on the side of the road.
"Just once we're on the scene on a big busy commercial roadway like Troy was I believe a blue light and a lot of companies feel the same way would make a difference,” says Johnson.
Safety is an issue Johnson is trying to raise awareness about. In a Facebook post about Caldwell’s death, Johnson says his friend is the 31st US emergency responder struck this year. He's spoken with Representative Patrick Flannery about it.
Johnson says, "He's wanting to try to do anything he can to maybe help us figure out a good plan something that we could get that works for everybody and maybe can keep a few more of us coming home every day.”
These drivers want people to keep Troy Caldwell’s loved ones in their thoughts. And while driving they want people to remember others’ lives and loved ones and slow down and move over.
Scalf says, "I drive a red tow truck too you know and we meet each other we'll flash our lights and we'll wave at each other it's just something we do... And he is gonna be missed. He was a pillar up there."
"Horrible thing that's he's gone because he definitely got robbed out of a lot more life and he still would want to be out here helping people,” says Johnson.
