Car Towed After an Accident: What to Know
When your car is towed after an accident, it can start accruing storage fees while you figure out what to do. Acting promptly matters. Here is what to know about getting your car out and moving it to the shop you choose.
The Clock Can Start Right Away
When your vehicle is towed after an accident, it usually goes to a tow yard or storage facility, and it can begin accruing storage fees for each day it sits there. This is the key thing to understand: while you are dealing with the aftermath of an accident, the storage clock may already be running. Acting promptly to address the situation is important, because those daily fees can add up and eat into your claim or your pocket.
This is general information, and the specifics depend on your situation and location. But the general principle holds: a towed vehicle sitting in storage tends to cost money each day, so understanding the situation and moving to resolve it quickly is worthwhile. Knowing this up front helps you avoid unnecessary fees from a car left sitting longer than needed.
Key Insight
A towed vehicle usually accrues storage fees each day it sits. While you deal with the accident's aftermath, the storage clock may already be running, so acting promptly matters.
Find Out Where Your Car Is
The first practical step is knowing where your vehicle was taken and how storage is accruing.
- Determine which facility your vehicle was towed to
- Find out how storage fees are being charged
- Understand what is needed to retrieve the vehicle
- Get the facility's information and requirements
- Act on this promptly, given the daily cost
You cannot resolve the situation without knowing where your vehicle is. Find out which tow yard or storage facility has it, how the storage fees work, and what is required to retrieve it. Facilities have their own requirements and hours, and knowing them lets you act. Because storage typically accrues daily, getting this information promptly and moving on it, rather than letting days pass, is how you keep fees from building up unnecessarily while the car sits.
Move It to the Shop You Choose
An important step is getting the vehicle from storage to the shop where it will be repaired, which you generally choose.
- You generally have the right to choose your repair shop
- Moving the vehicle to that shop stops storage accrual there
- Coordinate the move from the storage facility to the shop
- Your chosen shop can often help coordinate
- Getting it to the shop is a key step in resolving the situation
One of the most useful moves is getting the vehicle out of the storage facility and to the shop where it will be repaired. Since you generally have the right to choose your repair shop, you can have the vehicle moved to the shop you trust. This also stops the storage fees at the tow yard from continuing to accrue. Your chosen shop can often help coordinate the move. Getting the vehicle from storage to the shop is a key step in both starting the repair and controlling storage costs.
Involve Your Insurer
Your insurer is part of the picture, and involving them helps address both the vehicle and the storage question.
- Report the situation to your insurer
- Ask how storage and towing are handled
- Understand what your coverage addresses
- Coordinate the vehicle's handling with them
- Your insurer can clarify how the costs are treated
Your insurer should be involved, both because the accident is a claim and because towing and storage may relate to your coverage. Reporting the situation and asking how storage and towing are handled tells you what your coverage addresses and how the costs are treated. Coordinating the vehicle's handling with your insurer, alongside moving it to your shop, ensures the situation is managed properly. Understanding how your insurer treats these costs helps you avoid surprises and handle the storage question correctly.
Why Prompt Action Saves Money
"With a towed vehicle, delay has a direct financial downside. Storage accrues while the car sits, so prompt action, locating it, involving your insurer, moving it to your shop, protects you."
Pulling it together, the theme is that prompt action on a towed vehicle protects you from unnecessary cost.
- Storage fees accrue while the vehicle sits
- Acting quickly limits how much they add up
- Locating and moving the vehicle promptly helps
- Involving your insurer and shop early is efficient
- Delay tends to cost money in this situation
The consistent lesson with a towed vehicle is that prompt action saves money. Because storage fees accrue while the car sits, every day of delay can add cost. Locating the vehicle, involving your insurer, and moving it to your chosen shop promptly all work to limit those fees and get the repair moving. In this situation, delay has a direct financial downside, so treating it with some urgency, rather than letting the car sit while you decide, is the approach that protects you.
Common Questions About a Towed Car
Does a towed car cost money while it sits? Usually yes. A towed vehicle typically accrues storage fees each day it sits in a tow yard or storage facility.
What should I do first? Find out where your vehicle was taken, how storage is being charged, and what is needed to retrieve it, and act promptly.
Can I move it to my own shop? Generally yes. You typically have the right to choose your repair shop, and moving the vehicle there also stops the tow-yard storage from accruing.
How does my insurer factor in? Report the situation and ask how towing and storage are handled under your coverage, and coordinate the vehicle's handling with them.
Why act quickly? Because storage fees accrue daily, so delay adds cost. Prompt action limits the fees and gets the repair moving.
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