HASTINGS, Mich. — Fresh off a trip to the nation's capital, Matt Spencer is motivated, trying to protect other tow truck drivers from suffering the same fate as his 25-year-old son, Keagan.
"If some change is going to happen, I would like to be at the forefront," said Spencer, owner of Priority Collision Center and Legacy Automotive and Towing, both based in Hastings.
Lobbying alongside the Towing and Recovery Association of America (TRAA), Spencer provided a roadside worker's perpsective on junk fees, electric cars and semis and — most importantly — protections for drivers.
"I just broke down and started crying because it took my son's death for me to get to Washington," Spencer said, recalling the trip. "Keagan's killing sparked me to do something."
On Saturday, November 11, Keagan Spencer died, hit by an oncoming car on M-6 near Kraft Avenue. He was trying to rescue a dog from the median.
READ MORE: Keagan's Last Ride: Tow trucks line the streets for fallen Hastings man
"Keagan's story needed to be told," Spencer said. "These [lawmakers] were willing to listen."
In Michigan, two bills written in his memory have been introduced in the state House. The first, introduced by Rep. Gina Johnsen (R), would allow tow trucks to use blue flashing lights when servicing another vehicle "at the scene of a traffic accident or disablement."
"There's a certain respect the motoring public has for the blue emergency lights," Spencer said.
The second, introduced by Rep. Angela Riggs (R), would designate a six-mile stretch of M-6, from Kalamazoo Avenue to 60th Street, as Keagan Spencer Memorial Highway.
"It would be a great way of honoring him and all the other tow truck operators out there risking their lives on that white line daily," Spencer said.
