Killed helping out in crash

A tow truck procession will commemorate the life of Wayne Kernachan on Saturday.

Last weekend, Kernachan, owner of Keegz Country Towing in Castlegar, was on his way home when he came upon a driver who had hit a deer. 

Although he was in sight of home, he pulled over, activated his beacon lights, put on his high-vis apparel and began assisting. He had began to remove some of the debris from the road when he was hit by a truck.

Kernachan's tragic loss has sparked a call in the industry for enhanced safety measures.

The Automotive Retailers Association, representing B.C.’s repair, towing and recovery business, is calling for the province to allow blue and white flashing lights in addition to amber lights on tow trucks.

Kernachan's sister-in-law, Darlene Moretto of Mario’s Towing in Kelowna, says his death is hitting the local towing industry hard.

Wayne used to work for Mario’s before starting his own company in Castlegar with his son.

Moretto says the phone call from her nephew Keegan was "one you never hope to get."

She says tow truck drivers are in danger every day.

"When people break down on the side of the highway, they say they are afraid to open the door. Well, you can image what's it's like on our end," she said.

Moretto feels the public has become "too familiar" with tow trucks' yellow flashing lights.

"Either they are immune to it, or it's just not that clear that we are emergency vehicles."

B.C. has a "slow down and move over" law, but she believes more education is needed, perhaps as soon as people get their driver's licence.

A celebration of life for Kernachan will be held at the Brilliant Cultural Centre at 2 p.m. He is survived by three children and their mother, Wanda Acker.

Meanwhile, the ARA says Saskatchewan has adopted similar emergency lighting regulations, and Alberta is moving toward them.

Stats show a tow truck operator is killed every week in North America while on the job, underscoring the need for additional safety lighting, says ARA president Ken McCormack. 

“Near-miss experiences (are) happening every day,” McCormack adds.