Fort Worth PD: Woman accidentally ran over boyfriend with tow truck
FORT WORTH, Texas - A tow truck driver was found dead near a Fort Worth freeway Monday morning. Investigators say he was run over by his own truck.
The tow truck driver’s identity has not yet been released by Tarrant County Medical Examiner. Police determined he had stopped and gotten out of his truck in a location he thought was away from traffic. Police say it was his girlfriend who got behind the wheel and ran him over.
A little after 3 a.m. Monday, a passerby spotted a man's body on the side of the road on I-35 West near Highway 170.
Fort Worth Officer Jimmy Pollazani says the tow truck driver had just left a nearby apartment complex after repossessing a car. He pulled over on the southbound side of I-35 West to make sure the vehicle was secured to his truck. Pollazani says his girlfriend was asleep in the passenger’s seat.
“Woke up in a panic, got in the driver's seat and drove to the nearest business located right up the road,” Pollazani said.
According to police, she was driving a 2014 black Ford truck when she pulled over at a nearby gas station and was worried because she didn't know where her boyfriend had gone.
“At that time, that’s when they interviewed her,” Pollazani said.
Police say the girlfriend didn’t realize she had hit her boyfriend. Officers on scene did not believe she was under the influence. So far, police say they have no other possible witnesses.
“It could appear that she was confused or just scared because she didn't see her boyfriend obviously in the driver's seat,” Pollazani said. “She’s in a very dark area on the side of the road, so she just probably panicked.”
No criminal charges have been filed at this point, but the traffic unit officers are still investigating.