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The Role of Emergency Towing in Accident Recovery

The Role of Emergency Towing in Accident Recovery

Accidents may happen anywhere and anytime. They are unpredictable and unfortunate, but they are easier to handle with the help of accident recovery services and emergency towing.

What is Accident Vehicle Recovery?

Vehicle recovery is the process of retrieving and managing vehicles involved in accidents. It goes beyond simply towing and moving vehicles. However, emergency towing services play a crucial role in efficient accident recovery. Beyond accidents, heavy-duty towing may also be used to recover broken-down vehicles and vehicles with flat or damaged tires.

Towing During Accident Recovery

As mentioned above, there is more to accident vehicle recovery than managing and moving vehicles. Emergency and 24/7 towing services greatly impact accident rehabilitation overall by directly helping people involved in the accident. Moving vehicles away from the scene often assists local authorities in minimizing traffic disruptions in the area.

Helps Things Run Smoother for Emergency Response Crews

First, an efficient and responsive emergency tow truck company helps to clear all pathways for emergency vehicles. Time is of the essence in these situations, as reputable tow truck companies with emergency services understand. Prompt vehicle recovery action may lead to faster access to medical care for any individuals involved and a faster clean-up process of the rest of the accident debris. This swift response can significantly improve the chances of a positive outcome in accident rehabilitation.

Helps Reduce the Mental Stress of an Accident

The prompt recovery of vehicles helps to improve the mental well-being of people involved in the accident. Whether it is passenger vehicles or commercial trucks, clearing the scene and starting the recovery process quickly is better for everyone. It starts the process of taking care of vehicles, property, and paperwork.

Emergency towing services also improve the safety of the scene. This helps those involved cope a little more easily as they deal with emergency services, injury, insurance, or other stressful parts of an accident.

Inspections for Insurance and Legal Considerations

Accident recovery plays a major role in addressing the legal aspects of accidents. Sometimes, it’s important for the vehicles to stay in their original accident state to help with liability and insurance claims. In some cases, the vehicles(s) are assessed before they are completely removed from the scene. These inspections often include areas around the accident and the vehicle itself.

This is done for safety, insurance coverage, and any legal implications that might arise from the accident. Then, a company like Pro-Tow will haul the vehicles away to a secure yard or location for further assessment.

Have questions? Contact Team Pro-Tow!

What Happens When Your Car Gets Towed After an Accident?

What Happens When Your Car Gets Towed After an Accident?

Getting into a motor vehicle accident can be stressful and overwhelming. If your vehicle is badly damaged, an accident recovery company like Team Pro-Tow will tow it from the scene.

Understanding what happens when you call for emergency towing after an accident will help you keep a clear head and ensure a smoother process afterward.

Choose a Reliable Autobody Shop

Planning where to take your cars for potential repairs can help relieve stress. If you have a preferred body shop, ask your tow truck driver to tow it there directly from the scene. That way, you won’t have to worry about getting it towed a second time to get it fixed. Bringing it to the right place will save time and, sometimes, money. If you don’t have a shop in mind, ask our team. We have provided accident recovery services for a long time and can recommend a reliable body shop.

Get Details from the Towing Truck Operator

If you didn’t call for the emergency towing yourself, you should get the contact information from the tow truck driver. Write down their name, company, phone number, and other driver information. That way, you’ll know who to call to confirm the whereabouts of your vehicle should issues arise.

Alert Your Insurance Company

Your insurance company can guide you through what to do next if you’ve just been in an accident. Give them the details of what happened, ask for guidance, and tell them where the accident recovery company is taking your car. That way, your company can contact the repair shop directly if they need to during the adjustment and claims process.

In addition, ask them if your policy covers the towing fee. Many policies do, but there might be limitations. Be sure to ask what you must do to ensure your policy covers towing and storage fees. Document all your communication, if possible.

What If It Can’t Be Repaired?

If the damage is too severe or law enforcement requests it, the emergency towing company might take your car to an impound lot. For example, the police might need to quickly tow all damaged vehicles off the scene to ensure the area’s safety or start traffic flow.

If this is the case, ask your tow truck driver and any officer at the scene where the vehicle will go. Then, call the facility to understand their hours, storage fees, and what documents you need to get your vehicle out of there.

Have questions? We are here to help! Call Pro-Tow anytime at 253-245-5454.

We have locations in Maple Valley, Auburn, Spokane, and North Bend, WA. If you need emergency towing, crane lift services, or accident recovery, give us a call.

Be sure to check out our other incident reports on our Recovery Blog!

Revisited: Fully Loaded End Dump Truck Recovery

Revisited: Fully Loaded End Dump Truck Recovery

In this incident on December 5th, 2016, an end dump truck weighing nearly 90,000 pounds and carrying wood debris rolled over on Interstate 405 North of Bellevue. Team Pro-Tow came to help with this dump truck recovery.

We arrived at the scene and immediately set up pylons around the accident to keep traffic and our team safe. We then assessed the situation and brought in our two heavy-duty trucks for the dump truck recovery. We placed straps around the vehicle and the axles and carefully began pulling upright again.

Once the truck’s body was up, we carefully straightened the dump truck’s end until it was positioned correctly again. Then we could haul it away, providing a quality service for heavy towing in Kirkland.

What is an End Dump Truck?

An end dump truck, such as the one involved in this accident, is a specific type of dumping trailer. It unloads by lifting its dump box, the large carrier it carries, and dumping from the rear of that box. You can identify an end dump with higher sides than its main body, which gives them a great capacity to handle larger loads or rough materials. In this case, the end dump truck was hauling wood debris.

How Much Can a Loaded Dump Truck Weigh?

The weight of a dump truck depends on what it is carrying and the dump truck itself. An aluminum end dump truck can carry anywhere from 23 to 28 tons but can also carry up to 30 tons.

Just as with any vehicle carrying a weight, end dump trucks can be overloaded and cause wear and tear to its components. That can lead to accidents, breakdowns and other risks. If that happens, call Pro-Tow for dump truck recovery.

Let Pro-Tow Do the Heavy Lifting

When you need help with heavy loads, heavy towing in Kirkland or any area or accident recovery support, call Pro-Tow. We have the equipment, skills, trained operators, and knowledge to get you and your heavy equipment out of sticky situations.

For emergency heavy truck recovery and other towing needs, call us!

We have locations in Maple Valley, Auburn, Spokane, and North Bend, WA. If you need emergency towing, crane lift services, or accident recovery, give us a call.

Be sure to check out our other incident reports on our Recovery Blog!

Safe Accident Recovery When Working Near Powerlines

Safe Accident Recovery When Working Near Powerlines

On August 6, 2019, Team Pro-Tow responded to an accident recovery call for a box truck that had hit a power pole on Highway 169 near Maple Valley, WA. Unfortunately, the truck was completely lodged into the power pole.

Powerline safety is critical when dealing with an accident with or near power equipment. In this case, we contacted the local utilities. They ensured the power pole was safe and that our accident recovery would not interfere with the line.

Once we got the go-ahead, we cut off the damaged cargo box and rigged up the truck. Then, we could lift the truck from the power pole and ditch using a three-point rigging system and our heavy-duty crane-style wrecker.

Read more about that box truck accident recovery.

Powerline Safety: What to Do If you Hit Power Equipment in Maple Valley?

Thankfully, this accident didn’t cause significant damage to the power pole or lines, so we safely extracted the vehicle from the scene. However, that is not always the case.
If you come across a vehicle accident that has struck power equipment or you see downed power lines, do the following:

  • Call 911 or the utility serving the location. In Maple Valley, that is Puget Sound Energy. Utility professionals and emergency personnel will handle the situation if it is deemed unsafe.
  • If you’re in the vehicle that has contacted the power equipment or have lines on your vehicle, stay in the vehicle. Do not exit until you know for sure the lines are de-energized.
    • If you MUST exit the vehicle, jump away from the vehicle, do not touch it, and land with both feet together. Touching the vehicle while stepping onto the ground can cause electrocution.
  • If you’re not in a vehicle, keep your distance. Stay at least 35 feet away and call for help.
  • If you’re driving by an accident, do not drive over or under downed power lines.
  • If you’re trying to move away from the accident on foot, shuffle away with your feet together, taking small shuffling steps until you are 35 feet away. Large steps can create a path for electricity to run through you.

If you have questions or want more information about powerline safety regarding motor vehicle accidents, contact your local electricity provider for resources.

Backup Required for Trailer Fire Recovery

Backup Required for Trailer Fire Recovery

On December 26, 2021, Team Pro-Tow responded to a call from the Washington State Patrol. A trailer had caught on fire. It was the second trailer on a set of doubles and required immediate trailer fire recovery and accident cleanup.

This accident recovery was definitely a job for our heavy-duty wrecker. We got all the equipment together and set out to the scene. The weather was unfavourable, and we drove carefully due to icy road conditions.

Calling in Backup for the Burnt Trailer Towing

We saw that the fire had completely destroyed the tires when we arrived. Talk about burning rubber! Because of the damage, we needed to turn the dolly around for safe towing. Due to the extent of this trailer fire recovery, we had to call out for an additional person to help out.

Once they arrived, we could hook up the front of the trailer and maneuver the dolly around. Then, we could secure the dollies and tow the trailer from the scene using the ICC bumper.

Time for Accident Cleanup

Our Pro-Enviro division assisted with the extensive accident and road cleanup required for this recovery. A significant amount of debris was on the road surrounding the area. Team Pro-Enviro got to work clearing the debris and cleaning the roadway. Once complete, WSP opened the road back up to traffic.

Winter Conditions Cause Delays

Unfortunately, the road conditions were still poor due to winter weather. Pro-Tow drove slowly with chains on the tires to return that burnt trailer to the secure storage yard. Unfortunately, we could not tow it further because the roads were so bad. In addition, the trailer was so damaged from the fire that it wasn’t stable for safe transport.
So we dropped the trailer off in our yard to reassess. In the meantime, we could recondition our equipment and clear the call.