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Local Towing Company Keeps it Real(ity)

By Amy Mikel in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 7, 2008 7:15PM

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The towing business has a bit of a bad rap, a perception seemingly validated by new county legislation meant to put a damper on towing shenanigans. But Wrecked, SpeedTV’s new reality show premiering this month, features local legits O'Hare Towing Service. Business owners Bill and Marci Gratzianna hope the show will help to return some respect to the towing industry, as well as highlight its importance and incredible difficulty:

"Marci and I hoped to bring some awareness to tow truck drivers and what they're doing on the side of the road, because we have 60 to 100 guys killed annually in the towing business," said Bill Gratzianna, 44, in an interview at O'Hare's Northlake headquarters. "People don't realize what these guys and gals go through in the towing world -- the long nights, the cold weather, the side of the Eisenhower ... They don't get much appreciation."

O’Hare Towing Service, a 125-employee company, gets about half its business from large jobs like planes and commercial trucks. The reality show was filmed last winter, and camera crews followed towing dispatches to actual Chicago incidents, like “a tractor-trailer wedged into a Loop underpass and a semi stuck on a snowbank.”

The Tow Truck Association of America estimates that more than 60 towing operators are killed on the job each year. Related: many motorists are also ignoring the posted speed limits in construction zones.

SpeedTV’s Wrecked premieres 7/17 at 9 p.m. CST

Image from O'Hare Towing's website