PITTSBURGH — On Monday, you saw the bills — bills for more than $10,000 to tow a car. Unreasonable, outrageous? Most people would say yes, but it happens.
What if it happened to you or a family member? What are your rights? And how can you stop it? Senior investigator Andy Sheehan has more on what your rights are if you’re in an accident and what might need to happen to reform the towing system.
You’re in an accident. Your car is damaged and you’re disoriented, maybe even injured. Suddenly, one or more tow truck drivers show up to tow your car away. But even if it’s less than a mile, hiring the wrong one could cost you or your insurance company a small fortune.
“I feel like he stole my car. Yeah, I just want my car back,” said Emily Burton.
It could cost thousands for the towing and thousands more in related fees: recovery fees, gate fees, administration fees and storage fees. In this case, Emily’s insurance company had to pay more than $10,000 just to get her car back.
“This is beyond outrageous. It’s ripping off your neighbour. It’s taking advantage of someone in a difficult time. It’s a form of theft, in my opinion,” said Christopher Sloan of the PA Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority.
So what are your rights? First and foremost, you do not have to hand over your car to a tow truck operator. If the car isn’t blocking traffic, you can call AAA, or if you’re in the city, Pittsburgh police say you can insist that the city’s contracted tow company, McGann & Chester, take your car anywhere for a flat rate.
“For a flatbed truck, it’s $180 right now. The storage fee is $25. Now, if the vehicle goes over a hill or rolls over or anything like that, there are additional fees, as you would expect,” said Sgt. Detective Thomas Huerbin of the Pittsburgh Police Auto Squad.
But if you do go with one of the local towers, make sure their company name, address and phone number are clearly painted on the door. And Huerbin of the Pittsburgh Police Auto Squad says don’t sign a blank invoice allowing them to tow your car until they’ve listed all the fees and their costs.
“If you’re in an accident, you need to know exactly what the charges are going to be. This thing needs to be completely filled out before you sign anything, because if it’s not you, your insurance company will be on the hook for it,” says Huerbin.
“The majority of towing companies are honest, hardworking people. And they provide a service that we need,” said Sloan.
The insurance lobby says it’s safe in most cases to leave your vehicle in the hands of a tower, but says to beware of those who race to accident scenes and fight with competitors — some with near-fatal consequences, like a tow truck driver who was paralysed after being shot by another on Washington Boulevard. And a father-and-son towing team recently convicted of a shooting that wounded a bystander on the North Side.
“The wreckers, they’re a problem. They cost us exorbitant rates. They have violent incidents fighting over tows. They put people in danger,” Sloan said.
To avoid all that, Philadelphia has implemented a rotating system of registered towers to respond to accidents, but while a similar proposal has failed to get off the ground here in Pittsburgh, the PA Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority says there needs to be a statewide system.
“We need strong legislation and a regulation that would govern the Commonwealth. I want to see the legitimate towing companies, the honest, hard-working men and women who do this, make a good wage, make a good living, but I don’t want to see consumers ripped off,” Sloan said.
