Driver charged in hit-and-run that killed tow truck operator on 401

Police have charged a truck driver from the Hamilton area in a hit-and-run crash that killed a tow truck operator who had been stopped while helping a driver on the side of Highway 401 outside Woodstock, Ont.

The arrest comes after a nearly three week-long search that saw Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigators appeal to the public for help in identifying the suspect vehicle.

On Monday, police said 32-year-old Sandeep Singh of Mount Hope, Ont., has been charged with dangerous operation causing death and failure to stop after an accident causing death.

Police initially reported the Dec. 3 crash had closed the westbound lanes of Highway 401, near Oxford Road 3, in the Township of Blandford-Blenheim during the morning commute.

They said the tow truck operator, a 42-year-old man from Kitchener, was hit by a blue commercial tractor trailer while helping a stranded motorist, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The death spurred renewed calls for drivers to slow down and move over when tow trucks are on the job from both police and from Ontario's towing industry, including the Professional Towing Association of Ontario.

A procession organized by Waterloo Region tow truck drivers drew hundreds of tow trucks to the area to honour the victim.

The accused was charged on Monday, according to police, who said he was released from custody with a court date set for Jan. 27 in Woodstock.