Legal comeback against a Towing / Traffic Control Company?

June 17, 2008 4:42 PM

Car Towed Away by Traffic Control Company - then broken into - what legal comeback do I have?

So my parking disc ran out by about 30mins...the car gets towed away an left in a deserted street by the "Traffic Control" company...arrive back to my car, to find smashed windows, important files and my notebook stolen.

I cannot believe this company would leave the car in such an unsafe neighbourhood in a secluded street. I am furious, what is my legal comeback?

posted by jacobean to law & government (6 comments total)

City? State? Country?
posted by brain cloud at 4:46 PM on June 17, 2008

I'm not a lawyer, but I have a feeling that when you let the parking disc run out, you were also agreeing to a wide variety of potential consequences and a very limited set of redresses. Like I said, I'm not a lawyer, but good luck.
posted by box at 4:53 PM on June 17, 2008

in the UK...
posted by jacobean at 4:59 PM on June 17, 2008

Insurance first, then lawyer?

I've never heard of a towing company towing to an unsecured street. Seems like they'd want to impound your car somehow to make you pay up.
posted by cschneid at 6:53 PM on June 17, 2008

Are you sure it was the Traffic Control Company? Maybe it was just stolen. If it were me, I would first file a police report, then go to your insurance company. If it turns out it was the Traffic people, then be sure to let the insurance company know that and be sure to tell them that you have a police report. The insurance guys, if they work the same way as they do in the US, will go after the Traffic company and make them pay for it.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 7:42 PM on June 17, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

cschneid writes "I've never heard of a towing company towing to an unsecured street. Seems like they'd want to impound your car somehow to make you pay up."

I've seen it done in peak periods (say pulling illegals from snow routes ahead of plows). The trucks just take the cars a couple blocks away to someplace with lots of street parking at night; usually business districts. It allows the critical streets to be cleared quicker because they didn't have to shlep cars all the way out to the impound, (and to make more money during a slow period where the city didn't contract with a single firm). After the route was clear the trucks go back and transfer the cars to the impound. Some people would be knowledgeable about the dodge and pick up their car before it could be taken to the impound thereby saving an impound fee.
posted by Mitheral at 9:01 PM on June 17, 2008