Jalopnik: tow trucks

Saudi Arabia Needs A Lesson In Vehicle Towing

Travis Hudson — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:40:00 EDT

We tried hard to think of a situation where we would be in Saudi Arabia with a broken down car in need of a tow. After watching this shaky "Blair Witch Project" style video from Riyadh, we're glad it's not an occasion we're likely to see. If you somehow find yourself needing a tow from a Saudi local, you might be better off just pushing. Wonder if the driver knows he's doing it wrong? [via Neatorama]

Tow Operator Arrested For Taking, Flattening Car

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 12:15:00 EST

As if living in South Bend, Indiana hasn't been depressing enough lately, a couple tried to retrieve their 1991 Buick LeSabre from the parking lot of a grocery store only to find that it had been illegally towed away (they had permission to keep the car on the premises). After scouring the area, the owner found out it had been towed by Russell Auto Recycling. Though the company originally denied towing the car, the woman found the car crushed and in a stack of other cars heading for the scrap pile. But justice can't be avoided!

Chris Russell, the owner of the company, was arrested last Friday on one count of auto theft and one count of receiving a stolen vehicle. The car's owner hopes the case goes to trial and Russell gets lots of jail time. For those keeping track:

TOW OPERATORS: 134,000,000
TOW VICTIMS: 12

[Indianapolis Star]

Dead Woman Towed Away With Car After Accident, Left in Tow Yard

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:30:00 EST

We told you about the tow truck driver that drove off with kids in the backseat and the one that tried to tow a cop car, but this beats all. A car accidentally crashed into a bank building, sending the driver to a hospital. The car was towed away and no one thought anything of it until the family reported there were two people in the car.

The LAPD followed by calling the tow company, which then dispatched an employee to see if there was anything still in the car. And that's when they found the dead woman. The Fire Department claims to have declared one person DOA, so it's unlikely the woman was injured when they towed the car away and died in the tow yard. That being said, we have a feeling someone's going to get sued before this is all over. [LA Times]