Tow truck driver struck and killed while helping stranded motorist

WILSON COUNTY, N.C. -- A man was taken into custody Monday afternoon following a serious accident that killed a tow truck driver and temporarily closed the southbound lanes of Interstate 95.

Lieutenant Jeff Gordon of the N.C. Highway Patrol said Paul Joseph Dattari was travelling south on I-95 in the left lane when he signaled over to the right.

He changed lanes but continued into the emergency strip, where Jeff Rackley of Jeff's Wrecker Service was helping a stranded motorist.

Witnesses say Dattari's car slammed into the broken-down vehicle and the bed of Rackley's tow truck. Unable to stop, Dattari hit Rackley, who was standing next to his driver's side door.

Lieutenant Gordon said Rackley was wearing a reflective shirt when Dattari's car threw him across the southbound lanes.

The impact killed Rackley and left Dattari with minor injuries. He was treated at Wilson Medical Center and released.

Kevin Raper runs his own wrecker service in Wilson and told ABC11, ABC-13's sister station in Raleigh, that he was a good friend of Rackley's. When he got the call about a wreck on I-95, he had a feeling he knew who it was.

"It could have easily been me out there," Raper said.

Fellow wrecker service owner Luke Mangum is holding Dattari's mangled car on his lot. His guide book from the National Traffic Incident Management Responder Training Program cites U.S. Dept. of Transportation statistics published in August 2013 which show, in a given year, 12 law enforcement officers are struck and killed while stopped on the side of the road. In that same time period, 60 towing and recovery professionals are killed.

"They're helping people," said Mangum. "They're changing tires. They're getting folks off the road that are in need."

Gordon said many drivers are unaware North Carolina's Move Over Law pertains to tow truck operators as well as law enforcement. He said whenever you see a tow truck driver stopped on the side of the road, you should either merge left and out of their way, or slow down to a speed where you know you can safely pass them.

Raper put out a plea for him and all of his colleagues.

"Respect us," he said. "We got families to go to at the end of the day."

Dattari has been charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, felony failure to move over, and careless and reckless driving. He was released Tuesday on a $5,000 bond.