On Oct. 8, 2023, Frank Ingram, Ingram’s Towing and Impound Service’s owner, was getting ready to load a larger truck onto his tow truck when he was hit and killed by a passing driver. This was not the first time Ingram had gotten injured by reckless driving while working on the roadside. Gabriele Southern, a junior at Etowah, is willing to tell his story and obtain justice for Ingram and his family.
Imagine a first responder on the side of the highway doing their best to remediate whatever instance they have been called out to fix. Suddenly a car whizzes by, then another one, then one more, with 12 more following closely behind, all going well over the speed limit. This is what Ingram and many other first responders deal with daily.
“When you are standing on the side of the side road for five minutes, imagine how many cars have passed you on the interstate who did not move over. Say it was 50 cars — that is 50 opportunities of high risk,” Gabriele Southern, junior, said.
This is why the Slow Down Move Over (SDMO) law was created. The SDMO law is also known as the “Spencer Pass Law” in honor of Highway Emergency Response Operator Spencer Pass. This law requires drivers who are approaching an authorized emergency vehicle exhibiting yellow, amber, white, red or blue lights to make a lane change not adjacent to the authorized emergency vehicle, if possible, in the existing traffic and existing safety conditions. If one is unable to move over, whether it be prohibited or unsafe, one must reduce the speed of the motor vehicle and be prepared to stop. In addition, it is still crucial to be aware of the existing safety conditions all around.
“I remember that day being quiet; the world felt unimaginable and unreal, and everyone was at the Ingram impound service. I genuinely felt like that day a community came together,” Gabriele Southern, junior, said.
Gabriele was extremely devastated by Ingram’s tragic passing. She recalled news outlets swarming Ingram’s Impound and Towing Service, and her refusal to believe any of it was true. This was until she walked into the office that following week, only to see Ingram’s door shut. Ingram’s passing has truly brought Gabriele out of her comfort zone and opened her to the fact that a drastic change needs to be made. Gabriele believes what truly pushed her over the edge is when the driver pleaded not guilty to the vehicular manslaughter charges in court. The driver has done this twice before, but this time he has killed a man. The man’s only excuse: he sometimes has blackouts while driving, causing him to swerve and fatally injure Ingram. Another slap in the face to the Ingram family, is that a failure to move over is only a class B misdemeanor, accompanied by a $500 fine. Ingram is not the only person to tragically lose his life assisting others on the side of the road; in fact, there is a tow truck museum in Chattanooga, TN. with a hall of fame to honor all of those who lost their lives due to careless drivers.
“Again, change starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with all of us,” Gabriele Southern, junior, said.
On Gabriele, the Ingram family and all else of those who have fallen due to inattentive driving´s behalf, one is encouraged to ask someone if they know that you are supposed to move over when an emergency responder is on the shoulder of the highway. Once it spreads, with it will flow justice, hope and peace for the victims.
