Tow truck drivers travel hundreds of miles to honor fallen comrade in Rincon

RINCON, Ga. (WTOC) - In Rincon, dozens of tow truck drivers and law enforcement gathered to honor Floyd Crespo, a 42-year old man who died due to what other drivers saw as a preventable accident.

SEE: Wrecker service speaks out after worker killed by semi-truck on Hilton Head Island

Tow truck drivers traveled hundreds of miles to honor a fallen comrade.

“The guy was always smiling and always seemed to be in a good mood and had a joke and a laugh…I’m gonna miss him a lot," said Scott Grafton, heavy operator at Sapps Wrecker Service.

Crespo was working as a heavy operator for Rahn’s Wrecker Service when he was hit by a truck and killed in Hilton Head Island on September 25th.

On Wednesday, over 50 tow truck drivers and a dozen law enforcement officers gathered to remember him and advocate for drivers to slow down and move over.

“It’s a senseless killing because of drivers not paying attention,” said Corey Rahn, owner of Rahn’s Wrecker Service.

The American Automotive Association says one tow truck driver dies about every six days.

The way to cut this number is simple according to Crespo’s boss, Corey Rahn.

“Yellow, red, white, blue, green, any light flashing on the side of the road you need to slow down to 20 mph, slower than the posted speed limit and move over one lane,” said Rahn.

The amount of peers and competitors in the tow truck industry who showed up illustrated a bond that those in the career share.

“It touches your heart to see how much of an outpouring there is here. Seeing everybody here to honor Floyd and honor his memory…that’s touching that means a lot," said Grafton.

Floyd’s casket was carried out and put on the back of his tow truck before it led the procession to his memorial site.

This all comes less than a month after the enforcement initiative “Operation Keep Us Safe”, to raise awareness of the “Move Over Law.”

It’s aimed at reducing preventable deaths.

Check out our extended discussion about this story on WTOC+