Tow truck drivers stay busy during cold, snowy week

It’s been nearly a week of steady 12-hour shifts for many local tow truck drivers since a series of snowstorms began last Saturday.

Sean Rosen of Auto Towing, a contractor for AAA Colorado, said he’s had only one day off since then.

“Most of what we’ve seen are drivers who are stuck and need to be pulled out,” he said. “We try to get them and their vehicles to safe places where they can drive on.”

There are the usual breakdowns, too.

“My radiator overheated on the way to work,” said a man whose vehicle was towed by Rosen from Monument to a repair shop in east Colorado Springs. “I pulled over right away.”

One call for Rosen’s help was unusual. He found a vehicle stuck in the front yard of a north Colorado Springs home.

“My daughter was pulling out of our driveway, and she slid down and ended up on our rock wall,” said Cindy Vosburgh, the homeowner.

Rosen met the challenge by placing wood planks under the tires, attaching chains around two trees, and using his truck’s winch to pull the vehicle onto solid ground.

“You don’t see one like that every day,” he said.

Rosen said tow truck drivers usually respond to a second wave of calls, several days after a storm ends.

“That’s when people get home, see damage to their vehicles and file insurance claims,” he said. “We’ll come and tow them to a repair shop.”

Rosen said his schedule has been busy but less so than during previous storms.

“More people stayed home and off the roads this time,” he said.

Rosen said he looks forward to having a regular weekend off.