On Thursday, Aug. 11, when a rental truck carrying equipment to the Phillips Backyard Music Festival rolled over on the Trans-Canada Highway between Langford and View Royal, workers from Westshore Towing were there to clear things up.
However, instead of receiving thanks from passing motorists, operators reported that they were berated.
Some flipped the workers off, while others hurled profanities and insults.
“There was an overabundance of negativity from the drivers of the vehicles,” said Westshore Towing's owner Dave LeQuesne. “I get their frustration, but taking it out on us isn’t going to get you anywhere faster.”
When 12-year-old Langford resident and tow truck enthusiast Benjamin Timleck heard about how Westshore Towing workers had been treated, he got upset.
“He knows what tow-operators do, and he felt bad that people were mistreating us the way they were,” said LeQuesne.
So, on Monday, Aug. 15, with his mom Sarah Timlick, Benjamin visited Westshore Towing’s yard to deliver a dozen doughnuts and a hand-written card where he had penned a drawing of a tow truck.
“He just wanted to say thank you and he actually apologized to us for the way people were treating us,” said LeQuesne, who let Benjamin sit in one of the trucks. “It put a smile on our faces ... because it just shows that there are people out there that respect tow operators.”
One of those operators named Neil Wakefield, who works for Westshore Towing and has appeared on Discovery Channel’s popular Highway Thru Hell show, returned Benjamin’s act of kindness with a model of the truck he dove on the series.
LeQuesne also gave the boy some swag, as well as a tour of the yard.
“Benjamin came with doughnuts and a card and ... left with hats and crests ... and a few pictures,” he said. “He was a really happy boy to see what goes on in the tow yard.”
Others have since reached out to Westshore Towing via email to express their support.
