Troy Caldwell, 54, was struck and killed by a westbound semi-truck while loading a vehicle onto a rollback tow truck on the shoulder of Interstate 64 in Bath County, Kentucky on September 25, 2024, according to KPLC. The semi driver, Shodmon Yuldashev, 29, of Brooklyn was found to have been actively watching YouTube videos on a dashboard-mounted tablet at the time of the crash and was charged with tampering with physical evidence after attempting to power off and conceal the device.
Operator takeaway
Caldwell's colleagues called him 'Mr. Safety' — he was decked out in fluorescent gear and double-checking every step, and a distracted driver killed him anyway. The only defense left is positioning: work on the non-traffic side whenever physically possible.