London tow truck operator receives licence suspension for excessive speeding

London police charged the driver of a tow truck in the area of Hamilton Road and Pine Lawn Avenue. (Source: London police)

A local tow truck operator’s business licence has been suspended after one of their drivers was charged with stunt driving while on the job.

A news release from the City of London says Sealove Canady, director of L.O. Towing and Recovery Inc., received notice of a licence suspension Friday restricting the business from operating at accident scenes on a highway or other municipal property or its local boards for 28 days.

The suspension comes after a driver for the company was charged by London police in May with operating the tow truck at excessive speeds and stunt driving. The vehicle’s licence plates were seized, the vehicle was impounded for 14 days and the driver’s licence was suspended for 30 days.

“Driving at this excessive speed in a residential area poses a clear danger to pedestrian safety, vehicular safety, and public safety,” says Orest Katolyk, director of municipal compliance and chief municipal law enforcement officer. “The City is exercising its discretion to suspend this business licence with the intent of sending a clear message to tow truck owners and operators that aggressive driving and stunt tactics to be the first truck at an accident scene will not be tolerated.”

The city says both the driver employed by the tow company and the owner of L.O. Towing and Recovery Inc. were charged with various other Highway Traffic Act offences including driving a motor vehicle without a validated permit, failing to carry completed daily inspection report, colour coating obscuring interior, improper tire on commercial motor vehicle and operating a vehicle without displaying a device.