‘Phones started going crazy’: Tow truck companies playing catch-up after early April snowstorm
APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – As a tow truck driver, Jason Lind works through any weather conditions to rescue stranded vehicles and get them back on the road as soon as possible. But the hardest part about the A&W Towing and Repair owner’s job is the times he is not allowed to work.
“Last night, it started pretty much right around five o’clock. The phones just started going crazy, and people were in the ditch everywhere. We had a couple off of 41 before they put the tow ban in. Get them out of the ditch quick,” he said. “It’s a little frustrating when you’ve got drivers waiting to go, and you can’t leave yet.”
Outagamie County issued a tow ban Tuesday evening, preventing stranded cars from being taken off the side of the road amid the snowstorm, and was the only county in northeast Wisconsin to take that action. The ban ended just after 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
“I get it. When it’s snowing really hard, and visibility is poor, you don’t want people out on 41 trying to pull a car out when you can’t see 50 feet in front of you,” Lind said, noting that he wishes the tow ban was lifted as soon as the snow stopped falling. “Right now, we got about 10 people on the list, and once they lift the tow ban, we’ll be able to get them out of the ditch.”
The Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office responded to seven crashes on Tuesday afternoon, while Winnebago and Brown County responded to 13 and 28 crashes, respectively. The Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office said that due to the number of road closures from downed power lines, there were not as many crashes and stranded vehicles as expected.
“Just don’t go down roads that aren’t plowed. Try to stay home when the roads have a foot of snow drifts on them and everything,” Lind said, explaining that the crashes are typically avoidable.
According to Lind, there were more calls for service on county highways than on I-41.
“Slow down before the intersections and just drive safe,” Appleton resident Jeremy Backman said. “I was enjoying the weather on my deck on Easter, and now we’re in a winter storm.”
Fellow Appleton resident Mike Shanklin thinks that drivers were not handling the roads well on Tuesday but eventually got back into winter driving mode.
“Today is pretty good; yesterday was not so good. If it starts snowing again, I’d stay home,” he said. “You never know in Wisconsin.”
