In honor of a local tow truck driver who was hit and killed on the job, several tow companies, including AAA Western and Central New York, lined the stretch of roadway where the tragedy took place in Central New York.

Irael Martinez, 48, of Syracuse, died on Friday, March 11 from the injuries he sustained after being hit on the Onondaga Lake Parkway on February 24. He was operating the controls to put a disabled car on his tow truck when an SUV hit him, despite all his emergency lights being on. Police say the driver who struck him was under the influence of drugs.

Martinez came to the United States from Cuba to improve his family’s life, starting Martinez Towing and Auto Services in 2014. As the only driver, Martinez’s wife and daughter would help with calls, reports Syracuse.com He took jobs 24/7 and worked through the peak of the pandemic and was added to the Syracuse police towing list in July 2020.

The tragedy has brought the towing community together to share condolences and to raise awareness of the Slow Down, Move Over law designed to protect workers on the roadside.

Each year, an average of 24 emergency responders nationwide – including tow providers – are struck and killed by vehicles while working at the roadside. This means that, on average, someone in this line of work is killed every other week.

To protect these individuals, AAA and other traffic safety advocates have led the way in getting Move Over laws passed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Yet, the AAA Foundation finds that – nearly a quarter of those surveyed (23%) are unaware of the Move Over law in the state where they live, and among those who are aware of their state's Move Over laws, about 15% report not understanding the potential consequences for violating the Move Over law at all.

In New York State, 33 people were killed while outside a disabled vehicle from 2015-2019. The NYS Move Over law requires all drivers to proceed with caution, and, if possible, move over one lane when passing an emergency vehicle, tow truck, or road maintenance vehicle with flashing or rotating lights parked on the roadside.

A GoFundMe page was started by a fellow tow service in Syracuse to raise money for Martinez’s medical bills and to support his family. So far, it has raised over $19,000 – well over the initial $10,000 goal.

Click here to learn more about the Slow Down Move Over effort.