Local tow truck industry reflects on sad fifth anniversary

Tow truck drivers in southern Colorado have two reasons to think about the tragic death of a comrade.

Driver Allen Rose, 35, died on Feb. 23, 2011, after being caught in a cable and dragged about a mile by an SUV he was preparing to tow.

The driver of the SUV, Detra Farries, was convicted in 2012 of manslaughter, vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

An appeal of her conviction was recently denied by the Colorado Court of Appeals.

Farries, who was 32 at the time of the incident, said she was unaware that Rose was caught in the cable, despite being alerted to the situation by several passing drivers.

“I was just getting started in the business,” said Mark Ruiz of Knob Hill Towing in Colorado Springs. “That’s when I heard about it. I’m more worried about traffic safety than a driver threatening me. But that death taught us to think more about safety and awareness of our surroundings.”

Rose’s death led to passage of a law that gives towing drivers the authority to place stickers on vehicles about to be towed, warning that removing the stickers or trying to enter the vehicles is a crime.

John Morse, a former state senator in Colorado Springs, introduced the bill that became law.

“I think it’s a great law,” said Jim Stevens, general manager of Knob Hill . “Everyone knows what happened to Allen Rose. I don’t think anyone would risk getting into a situation like that.”

Stevens said the law doesn’t necessarily help towing companies like his that rarely or never repossess vehicles.

“But a lot of those repo companies are out there by themselves in the middle of the night, in bad neighborhoods,” he said. “They need all the protection they can get. I never want to have to make that call or visit to a family that one of my drivers isn’t coming home.”

KRDO NewsChannel 13 contacted Rose’s family Friday. The family declined comment.