Dave Fons

About Dave

Dave Fons was born July 30, 1954 at US Air Force Hospital at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington DC. He was raised in Berkley, Michigan, but raised his family and lived most of his life in Brighton, Michigan. Dave Fons was a husband of 42 years, a father of three, and grandfather of five. He was also a hard-working entrepreneur his whole life. Dave truly loved his work. He was in the earthmoving and road construction business, and even at a young age, was a dedicated and talented heavy equipment operator, a passion that never ceased even as business ownership took over. He ran a successful company, Fonson Inc, from 1978 to 2014. He never outgrew the sandbox, and, even while on vacation, Dave would scour the area for similar projects to his, making new friends and offering advice.

Crash Description

On December 11, 2017, Dave Fons was involved in a truck crash while visiting his son and his family in Fort Myers, Florida. Dave was driving a compact rental vehicle and was hit by a fully loaded dump truck that failed to yield to a red light. The dump truck driver was racing to get to the last load, driving too fast, when he came to the red light, couldn’t stop, went around another car, and hit Dave’s car. Dave likely died upon impact and was pronounced dead at the scene. As Dave was involved in the construction and aggregate industry, it was truly ironic that his life ended the way it did. He was no stranger to the risks trucks pose.

Life After the Crash

In the wake of this loss, Dave’s family founded a nonprofit organization, The Dave Fons Memorial Fund for the Advocacy of Truck Safety, in an effort to prevent other tragedies like this from occurring. They are dedicated to raising awareness, supporting education, and advocating for meaningful change. In addition to founding scholarships and facilitating truck driver training, this organization promoted a billboard campaign in Michigan and Florida with the intention of reminding all drivers to maintain safe interactions between motorists and trucks. The Dave Fons Memorial Fund’s goals for the future include raising minimum insurance requirements, organizing additional truck safety training, partnering with other truck safety organizations, and continuing their campaign of safety awareness.