CATALINA, Ariz. (KGUN) — The everyday grind of being a tow truck driver is more dangerous than you might expect.
As the owner of Catalina Towing, you’d think Nate Liodas would be most worried about the profits of his business. Instead, he worries about making sure he and his employees make it home every night.
"We want to go home and see our families at night just like anybody," Liodas said.
Liodas is the owner of Catalina Towing. He’s been in the towing business since college and opened his own business seven years ago. On any given day, safety for his employees is at the forefront of his mind.
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"There’s not a day that goes by that it doesn’t cross my mind," he said. "Especially when I have five or six guys out there at a time."
A 2019 report from the International Chiefs of Police Association shows 14 tow truck operators were killed in the U.S. during a traffic stop. That stat mirrors the police, who saw 18 officers fatally hit that same year.
Liodas said, "It’s part of the job. It’s something we have to deal with."
He says, fortunately, tragedy hasn’t struck in his years running the business. However, "we’ve had some close calls. I personally have had a lot of close calls," he said.
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He believes distracted driving plays a big part in these tragedies. He said he can only make sure his drivers are taking the necessary precautions.
"Make sure we’re vigilant out there," he explained. "We’re turning behind our shoulder, looking over our shoulder making sure [we're aware of] what these cars are doing."
Despite the inherent dangers, he said it’s all in a day's work, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
"Helping people, I love it," Liodas said. "Every day people are out here, they’re having a bad bad day, their car just broke down and they need assistance, and we’re the first person they see."
