Maryland State Trooper Rescues Tow Truck Driver Trapped Under Vehicle

SILVER SPRING, MD – Quick action by Trooper Jason Reid of the Maryland State Police's Rockville Barracks is credited with saving the life of a 51-year-old tow truck driver trapped under a vehicle Monday morning in Silver Spring, according to a release.

Around 10:30 a.m., Reid was on the scene of a crash that had just occurred on the ramp from eastbound I-495 to southbound US-29/Colesville Road. A tow truck operator was attempting to attach a winch to the underside of a Chevrolet Equinox involved in the crash, when the car slipped off the back of the tow truck, trapping the operator underneath, according to police.

Seeing what happened, Reid ran over to the tow truck's controls, which he'd received no prior training on. He used the controls to first lower the tow truck's bed to the ground, repositioned it under the front of the Equinox, and then used it to lift the car off the victim, according to the release.

The tow truck operator was taken to Suburban Hospital, where he is being treated for his injuries, according to police.