A Philadelphia woman says her car was illegally towed after a crash; getting it back could cost hundreds
First, a car accident. Then, a towing nightmare. A woman reached out to CBS News Philadelphia after she says her car was illegally towed from a crash scene in the city.
Keisha Gregg said she was traveling down Roosevelt Boulevard on the afternoon of April 1 when she was T-boned at the Bridge Street intersection.
"All I seen was this big giant white van coming towards me, and all I can do is just prepare myself to either die or it's going to hurt really, really bad because there was no time for me to do anything," Gregg said.
Her car ended up in the median of the road, and Gregg said an ambulance showed up along with two tow trucks. She said one of the truck drivers approached her about towing the car.
"He said, 'I'll move your car for you,' and I gave him the key, and then as I'm in the ambulance, he puts a paper in front of me. And I sign the paper, and the ambulance is rushing me and then the ambulance pulls off," she said.
Hours later, while she was still in the hospital, Gregg said she got a call from Wheels Up Towing and learned it would cost at least $1,000 to get her car back.
"I wasn't even coherent to even be making any decisions, and then when I finally looked at the paper that I signed, there was no prices or anything on a paper that I supposedly, so-called agreed to," she said.
CBS News Philadelphia showed up to Wheels Up Towing to ask about the status of Gregg's car. The car was in the lot, and office manager Jessica Smith said Gregg signed the paperwork willingly.
"We've seen disoriented signatures before, it looks like a scribble, but this definitely doesn't look like it," Smith said.
She showed us the paperwork Gregg signed, which did not list any costs or fees for the service. Smith said after talking to Gregg, Wheels Up reduced the price to $850, but storage fees for having the car since April 1 bring the grand total to at least $2,600.
In Philadelphia, the "rotational towing program" is meant to prevent price gouging. Unless they're dispatched through this program, it's illegal for companies to tow a car from a crash scene involving emergency response. Wheels Up Towing is not in the rotational towing program, but they still towed the car.
When asked why they didn't wait for police to show up before towing the car, Smith said, "They (police) don't show up to scenes, ma'am. That's what a lot of people don't understand. They don't show up to scenes unless it's a drastic measure."
CBS News Philadelphia reached out to Philadelphia police and the city about that claim and haven't heard back yet.
Meanwhile, Wheels Up Towing defended its fee structure.
For every day that passes, Gregg is on the hook for at least another $150 storage fee.
What to know if you get into a crash in Philadelphia and need a car towed:
- Ask police at the scene if the truck was properly dispatched.
- Don't assume the first truck is authorized.
- The maximum towing fee for most cars and trucks is $215, according to the city.