OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Being stuck on the side of the road is a place no one wants to be, so that's why you call a tow truck company to assist you. Their jobs can turn deadly however, thanks to drivers not following a certain law or paying attention.
"Before I get out of my truck, I say a little prayer, please don't let anything happen," says Charlie Anderson, Supervisor and Tow Truck Driver for Auto 1 Towing.
During his eight years on the job, Anderson has had some close calls. "(While) working on a car on the side of the road, you could feel the wind of cars going by you, and one in particular felt like it was so drastically close that it took my breath away."
This comes from drivers who don't slow down and move over when people like Anderson are working on the side of the road. Sometimes those spots can be along Interstate 80.
"These cars are going so fast, it's a millisecond mistake that can cause some serious damage if not, lose a life," says Anderson.
"A driver dies every six days in the United States, and that's just tow truck drivers," says Debbie Geott, General Manager of Auto 1 Towing. She also works dispatch and knows the dangers of the job. "These people are putting their lives on the line every time they go out there."
Even with the trucks yellow lights flashing, many drivers along I-80 failed to slow down and move over. "I don't think they've even been by the side of the road and to feel the wind rushing past them and how close those cars actually are," says Geott.
Auto 1 wants to remind drivers if you see a car on the side of the road to slow down and move over. According to the Nebraska State Patrol, failing to do so is against the law.
