Rowlett Extends Deadline For Owners To Claim Towed Vehicles

Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter

ROWLETT (CBS11) - Tornado victims in Rowlett will have more time to claim their destroyed vehicles.

After the twister devastated neighborhoods, the city towed cars and trucks free of charge to make sure they didn't block city streets.

The city towed the vehicles to Herfurth Park where at first, there were 300 of them.

Now, only 75 remain.

Tow truck operators have been picking up vehicles for the owners' insurance companies.

Todd Gilley is among the residents who came out to the park to assess his truck. "There's a two by four still lodged in halfway in and out of the windshield."

He found his truck two to three homes down and across the street on top of his neighbor's transformer box. "Glad I wasn't in the truck."

Gilley kept it going for 13 years, 250,000 miles. "It was a great truck for many years."

He only had liability insurance, so he's letting the city auction off his car.

"I was told the funds will go back to the city to help. They've incurred tremendous expenses, helping the residents. The city's been fantastic."

John Taylor came here to make sure his insurance company picked up his two vehicles.

He lives next to Gilley and remembers his neighbor's pick up truck tossed into his yard. "I had another truck in my yard, my wife's car was next door. My neighbor's boat was in my backyard. So all of kind of surreal. It just brings back memories."

Taylor and Gilley's homes were destroyed.

Starting over is a never-ending challenge. "It's just difficult. There's only so many hours in the day. It adds a little stress to an already stressful situation."

The city will give owners until January 30th to claim their vehicles free of charge.

After that, the city will send certified letters to the owners saying that it will soon begin the process of auctioning the vehicles.

That will start February 20th.

(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Follow Jack on Twitter: @cbs11jack