WASHINGTON — A tow-truck driver was badly hurt after he was struck by a car that lost control on Interstate 395 early Monday in Alexandria, Virginia, but a good Samaritan helped get him to a hospital.
Virginia State Police said the tow-truck driver was outside his truck trying to clear an accident scene when he was hit at around 4 a.m. near Seminary Road.
A 2004 Honda Accord was traveling northbound when the driver lost control, investigators said. The car hit a concrete jersey wall, then crossed the interstate to the right shoulder of the road, striking the tow truck and its driver.
The crash happened on a morning when heavy rains fell over much of the area, resulting in slick roads.
The tow-truck driver works for Henry’s Wrecker Service in Falls Church. The towing company’s owner, Fred Scheler, said his employee’s leg was severed below the knee cap in the crash.
The tow-truck driver remains in stable condition at the hospital, Scheler said.
Scheler is also crediting a good Samaritan for saving his employee’s life. After the accident, a man, who is former military, stopped to help the injured tow-truck driver.
“He took his belt off, put a tourniquet on his leg, and then took his jacket off to cover him up,” Scheler said.
That good Samaritan then waited with the tow-truck driver, talking to him so he didn’t lose consciousness, Scheler added. The man also helped the tow-truck driver call his wife before he was taken to the hospital, and Scheler called the man his driver’s “angel.”
Scheler said he and the tow-truck driver’s family are hoping the man who helped out will come forward so they can express their gratitude to him in person.
“The family would like to thank him for basically saving my driver’s life,” Scheler said.
The driver of the car that struck the tow-truck driver was not hurt during the crash. Police have charged that driver with failure to maintain control.
