Hundreds gather for a convoy to honor fallen tow-truck driver

MOLINE, Ill. (KWQC) - A tow truck driver who was killed on I-80 near Davenport earlier this month, was honored today.

52-year-old, Mark Muske, was laid to rest at Trimble Funeral Home and Crematory in Moliine. Tow truck drivers came from as far as Minnesota and Wisconsin to “LIGHT THE WAY” for the fallen service man. Over 100 tow trucks lined the streets with their lights on and horns blaring.

“It’s very important,” said owner of Cantrell’s Towing, Aaron Tennant. “It’s a small knit community for sure and when something tragic like this happens, it’s awful. We feel horrible for the family.”

The tow trucks started at the Coral Ridge Mall and made their way East on I-80, stopping at a truck stop in Davenport before making their way to the funeral home.

Muske served for the United States Army in Desert Storm. After serving, Muske became a long time employee of Tegeler Wrecker and Crane.

Sadly, Muske lost his life on the job while responding to a disabled charter bus along side I-80. While tending to the bus, a 2016 Jeep Patriot struck and killing him on the side of the highway.

“One of our big heavy trucks doing a recovery, just a few seconds to slow down, move over to the other land, and be aware,” Tennant said. “Get of the cell phones, pay attention to what’s going on and realize that we all have families that we go home to.”

Muske’s family stated that they are gratified by the support being shown by the Wrecker community. They feel strongly that the issue of tow truck driver safety needs to have light shown on it to bring it to public attention.

The Slow Down and Move Over Law states that if you see a vehicle displaying their emergency lights, slow down and move over so people along the highways can do their jobs safely.

Nationwide, nearly 350 people are killed outside a disabled vehicle each year, according to AAA. Emergency responders, including tow truck drivers, are especially vulnerable – nationally, the Emergency Responder Safety Institute has tallied 74 tow-operator deaths since 2019.

The occupants of the Patriot were transported to a local hospital with charges still pending.

Copyright 2023 KWQC. All rights reserved.