SAN DIEGO — Tow truck driver Andrew Hernandez says each day, he just hopes to make it home to see his little girl.
"It's definitely very dangerous," said Hernandez." "We're regular people too, trying to get home to our families, we're just taking on the task of protecting our community."
Saturday is National Move Over Awareness Day.
The California Highway Patrol and the American Automobile Association [AAA} remind drivers it is the law to slow down and move over if they see an emergency responder trying to help someone on the side of the road.
"Move over, slow down could be the difference between life or death, and it could take a split second to destroy the lives of many people that are just doing their job," said CHP Officer Stephany Perez.
According to AAA, 24 emergency responders die nationwide every year trying to help people on the side of the road.
Hernandez's tow truck was hit last winter as he was helping a driver along the 91 in Orange County. His truck has cameras that recorded what happened. He said a driver was hydroplaning and hit his vehicle as his customer sat inside the cab.
Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt.
Fellow tow truck driver Anmar Toma had a close call. last March. He said a distracted driver going about 70 miles an hour slammed into the back of his truck and ended up wedged underneath it. Fortunately everyone survived.
"Don't play with the phone, no makeup watch the line in front of you," said Toma. "If you see the flashing lights, you have to move over, slow down. For our safety, for both of us."
AAA says these crashes often happen when its dark out. Often times people are distracted, they're on their phones, they're speeding, and not paying attention.