After a crash, the towing
is the part nobody planned
Most people go their whole lives without needing to know how accident towing works, and then they need to know in the ten minutes after a collision, standing at the side of a road, running on adrenaline, with a police officer asking questions and traffic going past too close. It is not a good moment to make decisions. So here is what actually happens, written down in advance. If the police attend and the vehicle is blocking the road, they may call a rotation tow. That is a truck from a list the department keeps, and you generally do not get to choose it. If the vehicle is not blocking traffic and the scene is not being cleared urgently, you can usually call the company you want. Say so, clearly, to the officer. It is your vehicle and in most circumstances it is your choice where it goes.
Where it goes matters more than people expect. A vehicle towed to a storage lot you did not choose can accrue daily fees, and getting it released later takes time you will not want to spend.
What we do differently at a scene
An accident recovery is not a breakdown with more paperwork. The vehicle may be sitting in a position it cannot be winched from directly. There is often glass, plastic and fluid on the road. Panels are deformed, which means the usual strap points may not be where they should be, and a wheel may be pushed back into the arch so it will not roll at all. We load these with skates and additional rigging where needed rather than dragging a seized wheel across the tarmac. It is slower. It is also the difference between a car that arrives at a body shop with the original damage and one that arrives with more.
We also work around whoever is in charge. If police are directing traffic, we go when they say. If fire or EMS are still working, we stay clear. Turning up and trying to run the scene helps nobody. And we clear up. Sweeping the debris out of the traffic lane is not glamorous and it is not billable, but leaving it there is how the next car gets a puncture.
Your body shop, not ours
We do not run a body shop and we do not have an arrangement with one. That means we have no interest in where your vehicle ends up, which is exactly what you want from the company towing it.
Tell the driver the destination. Your usual garage, a body shop your insurer has named, a dealership, or your own driveway while you work out what happens next. If you have not decided yet, we can hold it briefly and move it once you know, rather than pushing you into a decision at the roadside.
If your insurer is arranging the repair, they will usually want the vehicle at a specific shop. Ring them from the scene if you can. If you cannot get through, your driveway is a safe default and it costs nothing to store.
What to do at the scene
What we do not do
The highest concentration is where you would expect: the I-94 corridor through Ypsilanti and Belleville, US-23 north and south of Ann Arbor, and M-14. Add winter and the pattern shifts to surface streets and off-ramps, where black ice does most of its work.
We answer 24 hours, and a disproportionate share of accident calls arrive between eleven at night and four in the morning. That is precisely when a company with a real overnight operation matters rather than one that lets it go to voicemail.
- Ann Arbor
- Ypsilanti
- Canton
- Novi
- Northville
- Plymouth
- Belleville
- Saline
Common questions
Usually yes. If the vehicle is blocking traffic and police need the scene cleared immediately, they may call a rotation tow from their own list. Otherwise you can normally call the company you want. Tell the attending officer who you have called.
Wherever you tell us. Your own garage, a body shop your insurer has named, a dealership, or your driveway. We do not operate a body shop and we have no arrangement with one, so we have no reason to steer you anywhere.
That is common after a collision, and it is why we bring skates and extra rigging. We do not drag a seized wheel onto the deck. It takes longer to do it properly and it avoids adding damage on top of what the crash already did.
Yes, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. A large share of accident calls come in overnight, and we staff for that.