'Don't try to be a hero'

[TowForce]

Burnaby tow truck driver shares atmospheric river experience

 

 

Martin Slen, a driver with Burnaby Towing, was captured in news footage over the weekend conducting a challenging tow in Burnaby

 

During the weekend’s atmospheric river, countless images of devastation and weather mayhem were shared online and captured by news crews.

 

Among them was the striking visual of a tow truck in water deep enough to submerge the truck’s wheels, backing up to a white van with hazard lights flashing.

 

The truck then comes to a stop and lifts the van’s back end before driving forward.

 

Footage of the challenging task, captured by freelance photographer Shane MacKichan on Still Creek Drive just south of the creek in Burnaby, elicited disbelief in the online comments section of various news sites.

 

“Yikes. Surprised that the tow truck is even trying to tow that vehicle in that much water,” wrote one commenter. “Good if it got out, but most truck drivers wouldn’t want to attempt that.”

 

 

The truck driver who dared was Martin Slen, who drives for Burnaby Towing. In an interview Tuesday with Postmedia, he admitted he was “a little bit” nervous, but that he knew he had the experience and the equipment to get the van out.

 

“I was a little bit confident because I have experience with that (type of) job,” said Slen, 30. “The customer said just to try and do whatever I can, so I do whatever the best I can.”

 

Slen, who has been working in the industry for a decade, said his tow truck had been modified to handle deep water and is equipped with a self-loader, meaning he can control the wheel lift from the driver’s seat instead of getting out to manually hook up a tow.

 

Even with the self-loader, it took a few attempts before Slen was able to line up his truck with the van properly because he could not see its tires.

 

It’s not Slen’s first time towing in high waters.

 

“I have experienced this before, last weekend was not my first time,” he said. “I helped out a car like this many times last couple years. Same area!”

 

Sure enough, many parking lots in the Still Creek area have signs that warn of potential flooding in rainy weather, and several vehicles were shown on the news stuck in flooded lots nearby.

 

Slen towed a total of four vehicles on Saturday, including a black Mazda and two Corollas, one of which was also pictured on the news, floating on a street with a driver still at the wheel and water up to the windows.

 

“The driver was still inside on that job,” said Slen. “I took the van out and then I came back and the water was a little bit less.”

 

The company received their first call for help at 3 a.m. on Saturday. There was no final count of how many vehicles they towed on Saturday but the company operates four or five trucks at any given time.

 

“We have all solid guys doing the job,” said Slen.

 

Slen started work at 7 a.m. and didn’t get home until 11 p.m. on Saturday. He was back out the following day with his truck.

 

“When I see that water, I tell people turn around and they never listen,” he said. “They just ignore it, right? They keep driving there.

 

“When you don’t see the bottom or the road is closed, just turn around. Don’t go there,” he said.

 

“Don’t try to be a hero.”

 

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