DAVIESS COUNTY, Kentucky — The death of a longtime tow operator has shaken the regional towing community and renewed calls for motorists to slow down and move over when approaching roadside workers.

David William Fischer, 71, of Owensboro, was struck and killed on the morning of March 11, 2026, while assisting a disabled semi truck along Interstate 165 near the Daviess–Ohio County line.

According to the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, the crash occurred at approximately 6:50 a.m. in the southbound lanes of I-165. Fischer was outside his tow truck helping the driver of a disabled semi on the shoulder of the highway when he was struck by a passing southbound semi truck.

Authorities said the driver of the semi initially left the scene but was located a short time later by deputies from the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Hartford Police Department. The truck was found parked along a roadway in Ohio County with the driver inspecting damage to the vehicle.

The driver, identified as Suk Subba, 31, of Antioch, Tennessee, was detained and the vehicle was secured as evidence.

Subba has been charged by the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office with second-degree manslaughter, first-degree wanton endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident involving serious injury or death, and failure to give right of way to an emergency vehicle.

Fischer had worked in the towing and recovery industry for more than four decades and was widely known throughout western Kentucky.

“David was well-known throughout Daviess County and all of western Kentucky for his courtesy, expertise, and professionalism in the towing and recovery industry,” the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “There is no way to know how many people he positively impacted during his 50-plus years of service, but there is no doubt to all who knew him that he was a hero to everyone who counted on him during their time of need.”

Friends and fellow operators say the loss has deeply affected the towing community.

“David was a great guy. Never met a stranger,” said Brad Freels of McCarty’s Pro Towing & Automotive. “He talked to everybody. He had a passion for tow trucks. He was doing what he loved to do every day, helping other people get to their destinations.”

A funeral service for Fischer is scheduled for Monday, and the procession is expected to include a large turnout from the towing industry. Organizers say more than 100 tow trucks from across the region are expected to participate.

The trucks will depart Glenn Funeral Home at approximately 10:30 a.m., travel south on Breckenridge Street, turn right onto 4th Street/Kentucky Highway 144, pass St. Pius X Church, and loop through Fischer’s Keystop before returning to the church. After the loop, many trucks will park at the Consumer Mall parking lot or along East 6th Street near the church.

For many in the industry, the procession reflects the strong bonds among towing professionals.

“It’s a brotherhood,” said Lance Wayne of Tri-State Towing and Recovery. “It doesn’t matter the name on the truck or the company. At the end of the day, we have one goal — to be here for David and promote the Slow Down, Move Over law. And the second goal is to make sure we all go home.”

Kentucky’s “Move Over, Slow Down” law requires drivers to move over one lane when approaching emergency vehicles or roadside workers with flashing lights. If changing lanes is not possible, motorists are required to slow down.

Tow operators say roadside work is dangerous not only on highways but on nearly every type of roadway.

“A lot of times everybody’s in a hurry to get nowhere,” Freels said. “They’re running behind and late, and they don’t think about us walking around the trucks. Our tools are on both sides of the truck, so we have to work off both sides.”

Some tow trucks have controls on only one side, meaning operators may have no choice but to work closest to passing traffic.

“It’s streets, highways, interstates — everywhere,” Freels said. “They get close to us all the time.”

Wayne said the risks are always present in the profession.

“You think about it every day. It’s always in the back of your head,” he said. “Most towing professionals — it’s not just a job, it’s a profession. But no matter how much training you have, our worst enemy is other people while we’re trying to help.”

Industry advocates note that nationally a tow operator is struck, injured, or killed roughly every six days.

Efforts such as “Troy’s Law,” named after another tow operator killed in the line of duty, have sought to strengthen protections for roadside workers by allowing additional warning lights and increasing penalties for drivers who fail to slow down or move over.

For those who knew Fischer, the focus remains on remembering the man who spent decades helping motorists.

“David didn’t have a job,” Wayne said. “David had a lifestyle. You never saw him on a bad day, ever. No matter how bad a day he was having, he would make that day a better day just by talking.”

Fischer is survived by his wife, Barbara Fischer; his children Jennifer Bowlds and Jason Fischer; grandchildren Madeline Bowlds, Molly Bowlds, Julia Bowlds, Rachel Oakley and Maggie Weaver; sisters Kathy Clark and Karen Fischer; brothers Tommy Fischer and Jimmy Fischer; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents William and Margaret Fischer and his brother Joey Fischer.

Visitation will be held at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory, 900 Old Hartford Road in Owensboro, on Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., with prayers at 5:30 p.m., and again Monday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

The funeral service will take place at 11:00 a.m. Monday at St. Pius Tenth Catholic Church, followed by burial at Resurrection Cemetery.

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