IDAHO CITY, Idaho — On Wednesday, I was driving north on Highway 21 on my way to Stanley to see if I could catch the aurora borealis. I was stopped north of Idaho City because the road was closed while a tow truck company worked to pull a car out of Mores Creek.
According to the Boise County Sheriff’s Office, around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday a Mustang with one occupant hit ice, went off the road and slid down a ditch into Mores Creek. The driver was not injured, caught a ride back to Boise and later notified authorities of the crash.
The next day Issac Carl working for B&W Wrecking Service drove up to the accident and pulled the car out in under half an hour so that traffic could resume on the two-lane highway.
“We didn’t really know much about it, so we sent a medium-sized truck that could handle most obstacles,” Carl said. “That one was pretty straightforward. I pulled it the same way it went in.”
Check out the video to see Carl pull the car out of the ditch —
Carl told us it's a balancing act of trying to do the job quickly while making sure not to cause further damage to the car. It's not the first vehicle he has pulled out of Mores or Robie Creek.
"Around this time of year, it gets black ice," said Carl. "I did four or five last season, and this is the first this season with probably many more to come."
The crew at B&W Wrecking Service has to be prepared to work in dynamic and challenging environments, and they also often work during severe weather. Dustin Cullison told me the busiest times of the year are summer and winter, with fall and spring slowing down considerably.
"You have to be ready for any scenario, you never know what will happen and you will be on call," said Cullison, the manager of C&W Wrecking. "You could get a call at six o'clock in the morning, you could get one at two o'clock in the morning or you could get one right before your shift ends."
B&W Wrecker Service has been in the Treasure Valley since 1959. The business actually started as a black and white taxi company, that's what BW stands for. This family-owned business has evolved into a wrecking service as they specialize in large-scale operations.
"The truck behind me will do some of the lifts when there are some more serious accidents with semis and stuff like that," said Cullison. "We all get along really well, it is like a family, even though not everyone is related."
That camaraderie helps the team tackle a wide range of missions, but it's also good to know there are heroes like Carl who are willing to drive into the Idaho backroads to help.
"I love it, there is something new every single day and it pays the bills really well," said Carl.
The crash serves as a reminder to prepare your vehicle for winter and to slow down and stay alert on the winding two-lane highways into the mountains.
