A tow truck operator was killed near Summit while assisting a disabled vehicle on Tuesday night.

A statement from the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office said the tow truck operator was loading a vehicle on the shoulder of Interstate 94, near Sawyer Road, when he was struck by a blue minivan.

The minivan didn't stop, and continued east on I-94 until it exited at Highway C in an unknowndirection.

The 40-year-old male tow truck driver was taken to Aurora Summit hospital, and died upon arrival.

The incident occurred at 6:41 p.m.

The Waukesha County Sheriff's Office is asking for anyone with information on this crash to comeforward. Please contact the Waukesha County Communications Center at (262) 446-5070.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation on Wednesday.

Operating tow trucks can be very dangerous work.

A study earlier this year by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found more than 120 tow truck drivers, mobile mechanics, emergency roadside technicians and safety service patrollers were killed while helping motorists at the roadside between 2015 and 2021, with one roadside assistance provider dying every two weeks in 2021

The towing industry loses one operator in the line of duty every six days in the United States, according to the Towing and Recovery Association of America, a Washington-based nonprofit that focuses on federal representation and legislation for the industry.