Close call with trooper a reminder to pay better attention to the roadways

CORALVILLE, Iowa (KCRG) - Iowa State Trooper Tylor Fairbanks was on a routine call on Interstate 80 near Coralville when a pickup truck slammed into the side of the pulled-over car. It’s an incident first responders say happens all too often.

Trooper Bob Conrad said it was unclear if the driver broke the law because they couldn’t tell how fast the driver was going or if they had the ability to move over.

“People die in these types of crashes,” he said. “They were just lucky it didn’t happen here.”

Trooper Conrad knows what he’s talking about. He’s been hit twice in similar circumstances.

“In this situation, it turned out well with no injuries, but it shouldn’t have happened at all,” said Conrad.

He said it makes no difference what kind of lights are flashing, people are not paying attention. This is a scene Monday morning where police said a tow truck operator was assisting a driver on the side of Interstate 80 near Bettendorf when he was hit and killed.

“He was struck while he was doing his job,” said John Snodgrass, a Wrecker Operator for Papa’s Truck and Trailer Repair.

He said anytime they get a call it’s likely someone will create a close call putting himself or someone else in harm’s way.

“Last night I was responding to a call on exit 19 on Wilson, it was probably around 11:30 or midnight, there were two squad cars on the scene, and we still have three cars that came by.”

If more people would follow the law, slow down, and move over, Conrad said more incidents like these wouldn’t happen.

“This wasn’t a situation where he was sitting on the side of the road without his lights on; he had his lights on,” said Conrad. “He was there if you’re paying attention at all, you should have seen what was going on.”

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