CAA tow truck rear-ended by car on Perimeter Highway

CAA Manitoba is reminding drivers to slow down around emergency and roadside vehicles after one of its own tow trucks was hit while trying to pull another vehicle out of a ditch.

The collision happened as the tow truck was helping a CAA member whose car had slid into a ditch along the south Perimeter Highway near McGillvray Boulevard on Wednesday afternoon.

Due to icy conditions, a car that was approaching the scene in the right lane lost control and rear-ended the back of the tow truck.

The driver of the tow truck was not hurt, said CAA Manitoba spokesperson Angèle Young.

The person driving the car that hit the tow truck was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

Young noted that under Manitoba law, motorists are required to slow down and, when possible, move to the farthest lane when passing emergency vehicles, roadside assistance vehicles and government enforcement officers' vehicles.

Drivers who don't slow down can face penalties starting at $300 and two demerit points.

Young said the legislation has been in place for six years, but people still speed past roadside vehicles.

"I've been at the side of the road during a call and it is so scary. Even having a car zoom by at 100 kilometres an hour, it takes your breath away, and sometimes if it's a semi … the wind, it's crazy," she said.

"We just plead to all drivers just to slow down and move over. It takes such little time out of your day, but it really literally can mean the difference between life and death for our drivers.