03/12/2026
David Fischer, Aka Uncle Dave, Akaka the best wrecker driver this side of the Mississippi River
Today our family lost my Uncle David in a horrific hit-and-run while he was doing his job — helping a stranded driver on the side of the road.
Growing up in a family of wrecker drivers, you learn early what that life really means. It means the phone ringing at all hours of the night. It means holidays interrupted and family parties cut short. It means full nights of sleep are a rare gift. And it means that every time they head out on a call, they’re putting themselves in harm’s way so someone else can get home safely.
Tow truck drivers and roadside workers stand just feet from speeding traffic every day. They do it to clear wrecks, help strangers, and keep our roadways safe for the rest of us. Today that danger became our family’s reality.
But Uncle David was so much more than the work he did.
He had a huge heart for animals, especially cats. Over the course of his life he cared for and rescued hundreds of them, always making room for one more that needed help.
And If you wanted to get him talking, all you had to do was ask about his wrecker business — something he took incredible pride in.
But the only thing he loved talking about more than his cats and his wreckers was his family. My Aunt Barbara and cousins Jennifer and Jason were the center of his world. He was a man of few words, but when it came to them, he always had something to say — he was so proud of them.
Today is a tragic day for all of us who loved him.
If there is anything I can ask of the people reading this, it’s this: please slow down and move over when you see emergency lights on the side of the road. Tow truck drivers, first responders, and roadside workers are someone’s family too.
Please keep our family — especially Aunt Barbara, Jennifer, and Jason — in your thoughts and prayers tonight.
Rest easy, Uncle David. Your work mattered. Your life mattered. And you were deeply loved.
