SUMMIT, Wis. — A tow truck operator was hit and killed by a car in the Village of Summit on Christmas Eve.
The driver of the car took off after the crash on I-94 E, near the Sawyer Road exit.
The victim, identified as Hussain Farhat, worked for Chicago-based Yaffo Towing. He was 40-years-old.
The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department said a tip led them to a suspect. Officials said Christopher Sponholz, 39, from the Town of Wales, is in custody at the Waukesha County Jail. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 5, 2025.
Kris Martinez, a tow truck operator who works for Ray’s Towing in Milwaukee, said other vehicles need to move over and slow down when passing tow trucks.
Martinez has been doing this work for 15 years and said cars getting too close and speeding by is an everyday thing.
“I’ve had a lot of close calls myself, you know, with people hitting my truck and on the side of the road, too. A couple years ago, I had one where a sheriff's deputy did get struck too, with my truck.”
Martinez was devastated to hear a fellow tow truck driver was hit and killed on Christmas Eve while responding to a disabled vehicle.
He didn’t know Farhat personally, but said the towing business is tight knit.
That’s why on Christmas night, he organized a vigil to honor Farhat.
Dozens of tow truck operators, first responders and community members showed up to pay their respects.
“I just wanted to do something nice for him and try to remember him, and send prayers to him and his family and his company. That's very sad that they'll have to think about this every Christmas," he said.
It’s a fear that’s in the back of Martinez’s mind every time he gets called out to help someone on the side of the road.
Wisconsin has a “Move Over Law” that requires drivers to change lanes or significantly slow down when approaching roadside workers and emergency responders.
Martinez hopes more drivers start obeying that law, in honor of Farhat.
“I believe it should be addressed a little bit stronger throughout the freeway, and maybe more police presence, you know, where pulling over people that do not follow the law," he said.