Yes...it is the law. And why? Why take the time to slow down or move over if you see flashing lights? Because it is my husband, my friend, my employee, my children's father, the father of other children, it is someone's son, daughter...

Have you ever been broken down on the side of the road, fearful to open your door because of all of the traffic zooming by? Well you are smart to be scared. All it takes is the young driver texting a friend (which I saw myself today, by the way-or btw for all you "texters")-to look away for one moment. Which is why this exists:

http://www.internationaltowingmuseum.org/wallofthefallen.htm
It is a wall located at the International Hall of Towing and Recovery located in Chattanooga, TN.

MISSION STATEMENT:
To honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, to generate public awareness of the dangers involved in the towing & recovery industry and to permanently record and commemorate those involved in fatalities in the towing &
recovery industry.

IE: people killed in the line of duty while towing a vehicle.

So please help us to spread the word. We are not only talking about tow trucks, but police, rescue vehicles, fire trucks, and County Highway workers.

Pay attention and please take the time to move over or slow down. All it takes is one incorrect move-

for one of us to become "one of them."

The Car Took a Plunge

You just never know what a new day will bring...

Saturday morning we were dispatched out to the West side of Rock Lake for a car that went into the ditch in the wee hours earlier that morning.
This was as close as the medium-duty truck could get to the shore of the Rock Lake.Dan and Joe used an ice auger to drill holes in the ice to create an anchor. This would allow the vehicle to be pulled straight back, rather than at a hard angle.

Joe Hendricks pulls cable out from the boom.
A canoe was used to get near the vehicle. A hole had to be punched in the window to put the strap through to support the 2001 Buick LeSabre. It was a task to get the strap to stay in place beneath the wheels as they had a tendency to float.
Large ice chunks would get wedged in between the ice and the chassis of the car, which made necessary the use of a chain saw and many attempts to reposition the chains for proper support.

Both driver and passenger made their way safely out of the vehicle. The tow operators used the ice as an anchor, as the tow truck could not go onto the ice and the vehicle was at a poor angle to remove it from the ice heave that formed.




The job took about a total of 3 hours from the time the operators arrived to the time the vehicle was towed back to the storage unit. Fortunately, not one person was harmed in this entire series of events.

Way back when...

1948...When it all began!

One of the many valuable things we can take with us is memories. Our founder and chief, Cliff Topel was just comparing the difficult economic times in the 1930's (what we refer to as The Great Depression) to what our country is experiencing currently.

He told us of the "Bums" that rode the trains and would stop off here in Lake Mills. There was a camp in the woods by the lake, just off of what is now the Glacial Drumlin Trail. Sometimes, they made their way out to the Topel's homestead (what is now St. Paul's Lutheran Church & School), looking for food. Cliff said that his mom, Mabel, would feed some of them. "Not all of them," he told us.

A true reflection of days gone by and how truly blessed we are for all of the difficult times that the Topel family endured. The photo above is merely a symbol of a ray of hope that we have to make the necessary adjustments to our daily living. Out of such despair, emerged a legacy of memories that began at 1110 South Main Street, right here in Lake Mills!