Tow truck drivers, first responders honor Jason Schultz

PORT HURON TWP. - The usual somber black of funeral attire clashed with neon yellow Wednesday morning, as hundreds of tow truck drivers and emergency personnel gathered with the family and friends of Jason Schultz.

The sound of hundreds of idling tow trucks muffled pre-service conversation outside Ross Bible Church, where the outpouring of support was both for Schultz's loved ones and for raising awareness of the importance of slowing down and giving space to first responders.

Schultz, 28, of Clyde Township was killed Friday when he was hit by a vehicle on North Road.

Schultz, the owner of Preferred Towing, was pulling a vehicle out of a west side ditch at the time of the incident. An 18-year-old Fort Gratiot man was driving the southbound vehicle that hit him, according to the St. Clair County Sheriff Department.

His name has not been released and the incident remains under investigation. Police said the Fort Gratiot man drove onto the shoulder of the road, around the tow truck that was facing northbound in the southbound lane, and hit Schultz, the tow cable and the vehicle in the ditch.

Michigan's Move Over Law requires motorists to move over for stationary emergency vehicles, or slow down and pass with caution if it is not possible to change lanes. The law applies to police, fire, rescue, ambulance and road service vehicles. A driver who violates the Move Over Law is guilty of a misdemeanor and faces four points on their license and fines of about $150.

Motorists face enhances penalties of up to 15 years in prison and/or a $7,500 find if it causes injury or death to a first responder, according to the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning.

Joel Ballor, president of the Michigan Towing Association, said he hopes people will be aware of the dangers tow truck drivers face each day.

"I would hope that today's show of support, by people seeing over 160 cars, 250 tow trucks, that they see the community lost a great man," Ballor said. "Things happen so quickly on the roadway and can have unintended consequences."

He said nationwide, there's an average of one tow truck operator killed on the roads every six days.

Tow trucks came from all over the state and from as far away as Indiana and Canada to the Wednesday service.

Wendy Thibodeau, a friend of the Schultz family, was in awe of the showing.

"This is wonderful," she said, noting tow truck operators help strangers every day, and now strangers were showing their support.

"You realize how precious life is ... It's overwhelming, it's beautiful."

Jason Schultz's Obituary on The Times Herald

Thibodeau said Schultz' widow, Amanda, is coping as best she can with their three children, who are all younger than 10.

Rick Humphrey knew Schultz since he was a boy, having worked for the towing company for more than 20 years.

"I used to pick him up from high school and he'd ride in the truck with me," Humphrey said. "In the towing world, everybody is family.

"(Jason was) a great guy; no words to describe him."

Devin Fink of Brewer's Towing in Ann Arbor traveled about 100 miles to show his support.

"It hits close to home," he said. "It's like a brotherhood."

While it is not unusual for tow truck drivers to travel to funerals to show their support for the fallen, this was Fink's first time.

"It's really more for the family to come out and see all these trucks here and to support them," he said.

Paul Pardo drove about 280 miles from Richmond, Indiana, to attend.

"It's a big, ongoing problem," Pardo of Pardo's Towing and Recovery said of truck operators being killed on duty. "It's getting worse."

"It's a great feeling to know we have so much support here, if we could get more people to slow down and move over, hopefully we'll never have to do this again," said Dennis Hertz, a tow truck operator out of Warren.

Law enforcement and fire personnel were also on hand to pay their respects and escort the hearse.

"Gratifying and humbling," St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon said of the turnout at the service and procession to Burtchville Township Cemetery. "It says volumes about Jason Schultz."

Cord Varty, a Kimball Township firefighter, said he worked closely with Schultz at different crash scenes.

"I'm in shock," he said of the attendance. "I've never seen so many different organizations come together."

The procession to the cemetery covered miles, with the lights of tow trucks and emergency vehicles flashing.

A Port Huron Township fire truck hoisted an American flag over West Water Street at Beach Road as the miles-long procession made its way to the cemetery.

Contact Liz Shepard at (810) 989-6273 or lshepard@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @lvshepard.