According to officials, a tow-truck driver in Utah is accused of killing an outdoor equipment company CEO and his 16-year-old daughter after failing to secure a bulldozer on his flatbed trailer, which rolled over while he was driving around a curve and crushed the pair to death.
“The vehicle was negotiating a right-hand curve when the bulldozer broke free, sliding off the driver’s side,” the Utah Highway Patrol stated in its report on the July 6 incident. The collision occurred on SR-39, a two-lane road that runs through the scenic Ogden Canyon.
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“A GMC pickup was traveling westbound towing a boat,” UHP officials stated, referring to victims Richard Hendrickson and his daughter Sally Hendrickson. “The bulldozer landed on the GMC pickup.
The adult male driver and one juvenile female passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. Two additional adult passengers were transported with non-life-threatening injuries.
Michael John Love, 52, is charged with failing to secure the bulldozer properly and safely, resulting in the crash that day in Ogden Canyon, according to NBC affiliate KSL.
“The bulldozer landed on top of the passenger compartment of the victim vehicle, crushing and killing” the Hendricksons, according to Weber County prosecutors.
Although the incident occurred on July 6, Love was not arrested until late last month, and his charges were first reported this week.
After the crash, he allegedly agreed to speak with Utah Highway Patrol investigators and claimed “he never left his travel lane, and that the victim’s vehicle left the west bound lane and struck him,” according to prosecutors.
Love allegedly insisted that the bulldozer he was hauling was properly secured, telling investigators that he put chains at four points of contact — “two [on] the back, ‘two on the front, and ‘one over the bucket,” according to the charging documents.
He also claimed that he used a “J hook from the tow chain on the dozer and a chain over the bucket, for a total of six restraints.”
According to prosecutors, Love believed the bulldozer was “too heavy” at 22,000 pounds and too tall, which could have caused it to topple. “It’s the height that gets you,” he allegedly told investigators, “admitting that the height of the bed on the vehicle and the weight of the dozer made it unstable.”
When emergency crews arrived, Love — the owner of Love Towing in Marriott-Slaterville, Utah — was found “moving chains” and messing with things near the flatbed’s storage compartment, according to prosecutors.
He was told to “leave everything where it is,” and police allege that he placed chains where they should have been to keep the bulldozer in place.
Surveillance video from a gas station where Love stopped allegedly shows that the bulldozer he was hauling was not properly chained. After reviewing the video, investigators stated that it was “clearly visible” that Love was lying about everything.
“The video clearly shows that there is only one hook secured to the front of the dozer, which is the ‘winch cable’ attached and does not legally count as a secure attachment,” according to the prosecution. “On the back and middle of the dozer is a single chain to the bed of the truck.”
According to his charging documents, “some of Michael Love’s first actions after the crash were to attempt to place more chains into the scene to indicate that [the] bulldozer was secured properly,” implying that he “knew the bulldozer was not properly secured.”
Love was charged with felony manslaughter in the second degree, aggravated assault, and obstruction of justice. He is being held without bail because he also faces two felony charges for theft and “false evidence of title.”
Hendrickson, CEO of Utah-based Lifetime Products, was an active social media user as both a father and a business leader, frequently posting about his job and family life, including his daughter.
“Richard was a visionary leader and compassionate mentor, whose dedication and passion inspired us all,” Lifetime Products said in a statement. “Sally’s positive attitude and kindness touched everyone who knew her. During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones.”
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