You’ve probably dreamed about trying to launch your car off the back of a rollover tow truck like the Dukes of Hazzard did with so many famous Dodge Chargers. But we bet you’ve never thought about accidentally hitting a significant jump or, even worse, not making it. Last week that happened to one car in Lowndes County, Georgia. As the driver sped by the accident scene on GA 38/US 84, they didn’t seem to notice the crowd of emergency vehicles or, more importantly, the rollback tow truck ready to start pulling a crashed car out of the road. The accident on the other side of the grassy median of the highway may have confused the driver, or they may not have been paying attention. They didn’t slow down or change lanes to avoid the tow truck, whose load ramp had been lowered to make that made-for-TV “ramp.” Even though the car destroyed the tow truck’s headache rack, signal lights, and even its front bumper and hood, it could still miss the tow truck’s cab by almost the whole thing. The tow truck driver was in front of the rollover when it crashed, so it’s almost good that the car was going so fast. The car would have landed on the operator if it had been going any slower. But that speed was not good for the driver, who wasn’t paying attention. According to the Georgia State Police report on the accident, the car was going fast because it flew 120 feet after hitting the tow truck/ramp and landing on the road. It moved 23 feet before it crashed into the back of another car. Even though a Lowndes County officer was hurt when a piece of the vehicle’s rollback hit him, no one outside was hurt. We don’t know who was in the second car when it was hit from behind during the re-entry phase. On the other hand, the driver of the replacement Charger was taken to the hospital with what looked like significant injuries from the crash. This reminds you to pay attention, slow down, and move over when you get close to emergency vehicles or any stopped cars. The driver hasn’t been charged yet, and there hasn’t been any more information released about them or their situation.
