By: Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Troy’s Law, a piece of legislation designed to address safety concerns and add an extra layer of protection for individuals operating towing vehicles, has made an adjustment to its initial proposal and is gaining support. The law, named for wrecker operator Troy Caldwell who tragically lost his life while operating his rollback, initially proposed that wreckers, rollbacks, and other towing vehicles be allowed to add blue flashing lights to their vehicles.
It was proposed that adding those lights would dramatically increase public attention during emergency calls, thereby improving the safety of not only towing operators but others on the state’s roadways. The proposed law garnered initial public support, though there was pushback from those who believed that blue flashing lights would confuse tow operators with law enforcement, and initially the proposed law failed to pass. A recent adjustment, however, has increased the chances of the proposed law being adopted.
Local tow operator Bubba Johnson, a long-time friend of Troy Caldwell, was and is one of the law’s staunchest supporters.
“Troy’s Law made it through the (Kentucky) House 92 to 0,” Johnson said. “Now we are moving on, and it has to be assigned to a Senate Committee, and then the Senate Committee will have to vote on it. Then it will move on to the Senate House floor, be voted on, and move to the governor’s desk.” Once those hurdles are cleared, the law will become official, Johnson said.
Johnson said he believes Troy’s Law has enough support to ultimately become Kentucky Law.
“I have been working with senators since we realized it went through the House of Representatives,” Johnson said. “I started calling and contacting senators and so far I have been getting really great feedback. But we are kind of in limbo waiting on it to be assigned to a committee.”
Johnson said that once Troy’s Law is assigned to a committee, he can start working toward picking up cosponsors to help get it passed through. So far, he said, Representative Richard White has been making connections as have Senator Robin Webb and Senator Steven West.
“The feedback we are getting seems to be really positive,” Johnson said. “Everyone seems to be in favor of it.”
Johnson also commented on the adjustment to the proposed law that has increased support for it. “We made a compromise,” he said. “We changed from blue lights to green lights. I had a meeting with the Fraternal Order of Police. And had discussions with the Kentucky State Police. They were really wanting us to try the green lights before we do the blue we wanted.”
“They are wanting to hold onto the blue lights for themselves,” Johnson said. “And you have to compromise sometimes to move forward.”
Johnson said that he realized Troy’s Law, the proposed law to honor his fallen friend and fellow tow operator, was not going to proceed without some sort of compromise. Johnson was determined to see Troy’s Law passed regardless of how long it required, but rather than keep hitting a brick wall year after year, he knew some reasonable accommodation needed to be made.
“I felt like we should compromise,” he said. “So, we will run these green lights a few years and collect some data. That way we can see how much of a difference it makes.”
Johnson said there are some tow operators that have already begun running the green lights because they feel it is a ‘done deal,’ but it won’t become official until after Troy’s Law crosses the governor’s desk.
“The great thing about Troy’s Law is not just the safety for people in the towing industry,” Johnson said.
The people responsible for Troy Caldwell’s death escaped prosecution, he said, and are currently evading law enforcement.
“There will never be any true justice for Troy,” Caldwell said sadly. “But Troy’s Law will help keep his death from being in vain. His name will be in Kentucky Law and will always be talked about. And more importantly, his story will always be told.”
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
