‘No one is willing to fess up,’ blasts driver out $5,000 in fees after his car was unfairly towed & nearly scrapped
A DRIVER complained after avoidable vehicle registration issues forced police officers to tow his vehicle off the side of the road.
An Ontario, Canada driver said officials snagged his car even though he didn’t make any mistakes – he wants officials to pay back the $5,000 he spent to get his car back.
GettyA driver complained after his car was towed from another person’s mistake[/caption]
Gerben Vanden Heuvel’s 2018 Toyota RAV-4 was towed after a routine police stop, according to the CBC.
Police told Vanden Heuvel he was he was not the registered owner of his vehicle despite purchasing it years earlier.
In 2021, the driver purchased the vehicle after leasing it for three years.
Around the time of his purchase, the vehicle’s registration temporarily changed to a local business, police said.
However, the business had shuttered in 2020.
The car had been classified as “wrecked.” Vanden Heuvel said he had never been in an accident.
Still, a local Hamilton police spokesperson said police did the right thing after the officer found the “unattached” license plate.
Police asked the driver to step away from the car and towed it to an impound lot.
The RAV-4 sat on the vehicle lot for 50 days.
Vanden Heuvel said he hadn’t received any answers about who was responsible for the miscellaneous registration change.
“Everyone keeps saying, ‘We don’t know what happened. We can’t tell you what happened,'” he told the CBC.
“We don’t even know a simple answer of who [made] the mistake yet, which is super frustrating that no one is wanting or willing to fess up.”
For months, Vanden Heuvel drove a family member’s car, according to Global News.
But eventually, the Ministry of Transportation was able to return his car after months of legal back and forth.
What to do if your car is towed
Wrongfully or not, retrieving a towed vehicle can be a hassle.
If your vehicle is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or other legitimate reason, there are a few steps to take to get it back.
Steps to take when your car is towed:
Try to figure out why your car was towed. Did you not see a posted “No Parking” sign? Did you miss a car payment? Did you return to a lot where you have unpaid citations? Finding the reason can narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some form of contact information via a posted sign or sent by mail.
Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but those times will be posted to the website or can be recited by a representative.
Pay the fees. Be careful to be as prompt as possible, as some tow yards may charge storage fees by the day.
If you feel your vehicle was wrongfully towed, contesting the action can be done with the following steps:
Be prompt – many states have a small window of time where it’s acceptable to file a complaint against a company that wrongfully towed the vehicle.
Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
Get familiar with your local laws, as laws for towing companies vary per state.
Try speaking with the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight, and the matter can be resolved quickly.
Contact the Justice of the Peace in your area, as they may have more insight or resources to help. They are often utilized for towing cases.
Talk to a lawyer. Many lawyers have free case consultations, and depending on the case, it may be worth it to utilize a lawyer.
Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak Law Firm
“They waved their magic wand and said the vehicle is mine again,” he told the publication.
Vanden Heuvel said the car’s towing, storage, and legal fees have racked up around $5,000 in undue expenses for the driver.
He also lost wages after calling out for several days to compile necessary legal paperwork.
He is seeking some reimbursement for the issue, but the lack of accountability made that impossible.
“I just want a conclusion to this not-fairy-tale story,” he told the CBC.
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