URBANA, IL (Chambana Today) — Family, friends and coworkers will once again gather to honor the memory of Ross Booker, a young tow truck driver whose life was cut short while working on the side of a Champaign roadway.
Each year on the anniversary of his death, employees of Tatman’s Towing organize a memorial procession through the community to remember Booker and raise awareness about roadside safety.
According to owner Jim Hampton, participants will meet at the company’s headquarters before beginning the route together.
Booker, who was just 20 years old, was struck and killed on March 5, 2022, while clearing debris from a previous crash at the intersection of Windsor Avenue and Neil Street in Champaign. He had been working as a tow truck driver for Tatman’s Towing at the time.
In addition to his work in towing, Booker also served as a volunteer firefighter with the St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District.
The annual procession passes the site of the crash before continuing to Booker’s final resting place. Organizers say the event is meant to give his family, coworkers and friends a chance to honor his memory together.
This year’s procession begins at Tatman’s Towing and travels along Perkins Road to Cunningham Avenue, then to University Avenue, south on Neil Street, east along U.S. 130 to Illinois 150 toward St. Joseph, and then to 1800 East before turning onto the cemetery road where the procession concludes.
Participants plan to step off at 5:02 p.m., the time Booker was pronounced dead four years ago.
The event also highlights the importance of Scott’s Law, which requires drivers to slow down and move over for any vehicle stopped on the roadside with flashing lights, including tow trucks.
Hampton said the procession is for Booker’s family and the towing community that considered him a brother. Community members are invited to show their support along the route by honking, holding signs or saluting as the procession passes.