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Tow truck dashcam captures truck driver stopping a wrong-way car

By and
Updated  October 5, 2024 9:30pm MST
Phoenix
FOX 10 Phoenix

Dashcam shows tow truck halting wrong-way car

A brave tow-truck driver was able to get the attention of a wrong-way driver on Interstate 17 before any real damage was done. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean has the story.

The Brief

    • A tow truck driver was able to stop a wrong way driver heading south in the northbound lanes of Interstate 17.
    • Dashcam captured the entire dramatic incident.
    • Police are investigating whether impairment was a factor.

PHOENIX - On Saturday, Oct. 5, a tow-truck driver intervened to stop a car speeding the wrong way on Interstate 17, preventing a potential disaster. It was all caught on camera. 

The vehicle was coming down the HOV lane around 2:00 a.m. and luckily, there weren't many drivers on the highway. 

That didn't stop a tow truck driver from putting his life on the line to stop the wrong-way driver and potentially save lives. 

"I don't know how to feel. I'm still kind of in shock to be honest with you," tow-truck driver Travis Hamburg said.

Hamburg was working an overnight shift when he noticed a driver heading south in the northbound fast lane of Interstate 17, right into oncoming traffic. 

Image courtesy of Valley Express Towing

"I was going northbound and I noticed a couple people going southbound and they were flashing their high beams at me to get my attention. I noticed the vehicle in the number two lane heading directly to me so I proceeded to just lock my brakes up and stop as quick as I could and turn on my emergency lights. Luckily, the lady did stop and took notice of the lights," Hamburg said.

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The heavy wrecker Hamburg was driving had a dashcam that recorded everything, including Hamburg taking matters in his own hands and stopping the wrong-way vehicle. 

"I told her to roll the window down and she was able to roll it down enough for me to reach in and make sure the vehicle was in park. Then, I did take her keys because she did seem out of it or intoxicated and that's when I got back into my tow truck to call 9-1-1," he said.

Hamburg said police responded within minutes and even though he's still processing his emotions, he did remember a calm after the ordeal was over.

"It was a sigh of relief as soon as we were off the roadway and I knew what the situation was I was able to collect my thoughts privately in my tow truck," he said. 

The Department of Public Safety says the driver of the wrong-way vehicle was taken into custody on scene. 

Investigators are working to determine if impairment was a factor. 

A reminder to all drivers, Arizona's move over law requires you to move over one lane, or slow down if you can't change lanes, when there's a vehicle stopped with flashing lights on the side of a road or highway.