HASTINGS, Mich. — “I guess God just needed him a little more on those roads up there than the roads down here."
That's the belief Miko Garrison is holding onto as she comes to grips with the loss of her son.
Keagan Spencer, 25, was killed over the weekend in what Michigan State Police called a "freak accident."
Keagan was a third-generation tow truck operator. Instead of playing video games as a kid, Keagan would play around in his dad's vehicles.
“At like seven, eight years old, I'd pull up to a vehicle, and he would jump out of the tow truck and he was operating the controls," said Matt Spencer, who owns Legacy Automotive and Towing. "He would get the flatbed tilted down and hooking up a car. I'd have customers going, 'Umm, does he know what he's doing?' And I'm like, 'Oh yeah, he knows what he's doing.'”
An American tow man, through and through. That's how Matt put it.
“He was a master at his craft, and just connected in the tow community like nothing I've ever seen before," he said.
A couple weeks ago, Keagan started a tow service company, Towzilla Towing, with his best friend.
Saturday afternoon, Keagan was ready to get the fourth generation of Spencers started early, bringing his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Nora, along for a ride.
"Keagan packed her bag, got her bottles around, had her all set up through that car seat in the in the tow truck and they headed out," Miko said.
Matt added, "He would always honk his horns. He was big into air horns, you know? I shot him a text. I go, 'Was that you that just honked?'"
Keagan responded with the picture below, which shows Nora sitting in a child seat in his vehicle. He also posted it to Facebook.
"[Keagan] said, 'Hey, I'm heading to pick up a couple of cars. Light day today.' I shot a text back and said, 'I'm working around the house today. Let's get together.' And 40 minutes late, later, I got the call. The accident happened."
Michigan State Police said Keagan was heading eastbound on M-6 near Kraft Avenue. He was towing vehicles, but pulled over to save a dog who was running loose on the highway.
MSP said another driver lost control of their car, and hit the median and Keagan.
Keagan died from his injuries.
“Keagan would have never left his baby girl in that truck if there was not some type of importance there," Miko said. "He saw something that he thought he needed to be there to help.”
On Monday, Keagan's parents went back and forth, sharing stories that showed the kind of person he was.
"We have an employee here that we just found out, Saturday, after his death, that he was injured a year or two ago on the job," Matt explained. "Keagan was the very first person that came to his home and visited him just to check on him. I didn't even know that.”
After so many examples of Keagan helping his fellow drivers and their families, now the tow community is returning the favor.
“We've got people that are flying in from out of state for his funeral," Matt said. "People that we've never met before that are coming to support us and our family”
“My son supported his community. You didn't have to be a friend. You just had to be a stranger who needed help," Miko said. "That's all Keagan ever wanted to do. If he could help you, that's who it would be. You'd call Keagan.”
A GoFundMe and custom T-Shirts have been created to help support Keagan's family.
Miko and Matt shared with FOX 17 that Keagan would constantly participate in the Project Night Lights event outside Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.
On the second Wednesday of every month, at 8:30 p.m., community members and first responders line up to shine lights into the rooms of young patients, and those kids flash lights right back.
It's a way to brighten up bedtime for those who might be missing their bed at home.
This Wednesday, Miko and Matt said the lights will shine even brighter in honor of their son.
Then, on Saturday, there will be a procession of tow truck operators driving through downtown Hastings. Miko and Matt said hundreds of people will be in attendance for Keagan's "last ride," as it's commonly referred to in the tow truck community. The plan is for everyone to meet at 8 a.m., an hour before the ride begins at 9 a.m.
"We would encourage anybody and everybody come out and celebrate this young tower's life," Matt said.
