Tow truck drivers from around New England gathered in North Andover on Wednesday to bid farewell to one of their own, Daniel Coady Jr., who was struck and killed while doing his job on Interstate 495 last week.

Coady, 41, graduated from North Andover High School and was a lifelong employee of Coady’s Towingin Lawrence.

“The Coady family is well-respected and Danny was very well-liked,’’ said North Andover police Detective Lieutenant Eric J. Foulds, who estimated that more than 500 people — including tow truck drivers, police, and fire personnel — were there to pay their respects to Coady, whose funeral was held at St. Michael Church.

“It was absolutely amazing,’’ Foulds said. “I’ve never seen anything that comes close to this in my 30-plus-year law enforcement career.’’

Coady was fatally struck on the night of March 14. State Police said he was going to haul away a car that had been involved in a crash on Interstate 495, and while he was standing on the left side of his truck, a Lawrence woman driving a 2007 Pontiac G6 crashed into an unoccupied BMW in the breakdown lane and then veered into the tow truck and hit Coady.

Tow trucks assembled in the parking lot of the North Andover MallWednesday morning and formed a static procession with flashing lights. Coady’s casket was draped with a “thin yellow line’’ flag, a symbol representing the towing industry, and was carried on the back of a flatbed truck.

The funeral procession started at St. Michael Church in North Andover and went to the North Andover Mall parking lot and then to Ridgewood Cemetery.

Marc Sheehy, the general manager of Newburyport Towing Service, was one of many who attended the moving tribute.

“Words can’t describe . . . the outpouring of support,’’ he said. “He really was a great guy.’’

Todd Chase of the Statewide Towing Association said approximately 380 trucks were there for the event.

“It was overwhelming,’’ he said. “It was a really, really large turnout. It was a great tribute to a very good man.’’

Chase added: “The news of the accident was devastating to so many of us.’’

Shiina Dionne, 28, of Lawrence, was charged with vehicular homicide, drunken driving, speeding, and other offenses in connection with the crash. She was arraigned Friday at Tufts Medical Center, where a not-guilty plea was entered on her behalf, according to the Essex district attorney’s office.

She is scheduled to appear in Lawrence District Court on April 4 for a pretrial hearing.

Sheehy said that if any good can come out of this, he hopes it will raise awareness about the dangers that tow truck drivers must face on the job every day, and the issue of distracted driving.

“This is a tragedy that did not need to happen,’’ Sheehy said. “People doing their jobs are getting killed on the side of the road. Something needs to change.’’

“Slow down, move over, and pay attention,’’ he said. “People just want to go home to their families.’’

Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney.