‘Counting my blessings,’ driver cries as car is towed after turning off while driving – ‘kind’ strangers saved her

A DRIVER said she had a frightening moment in a parking lot when her vehicle backfired – but the kindness of strangers helped get her vehicle safely towed.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter , the driver expressed her gratitude for the parking lot kindness.

Getty

Getty

“[I] had a basic life problem today,” the driver wrote in the post.

“It was super annoying, and I cried.”

The driver said her car’s gear had malfunctioned while in motion.

Thankfully, she reported the maintenance issue occurred while traveling at low speeds in the parking lot.

She said she was never medically threatened by the issue.

After the issue, she said 14 people tried to help her, including several strangers, towing operators, and a police officer.

The strangers attempted to jump her vehicle before realizing that the car needed help in a garage.

She added that the area was experiencing a thunderstorm.

Then, she said she received kind help from a phone operator through her car insurance and a friend came to pick her up.

The experience left her grateful for the kindness of strangers.

“[They were] all kind, all helpful, and patient,” she concluded.

“Humanity is innately good. What unites us is far greater than what divides us.”

The driver said her parking lot experience was a better showcase of humanity than the bitterly divided conversations on social media.

The U.S. Sun contacted the driver for comment on this story, but she did not immediately respond.

What to do if your car is towed

Wrongfully or not, retrieving a towed vehicle can be a hassle.

If your vehicle is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or other legitimate reason, there are a few steps to take to get it back.

Steps to take when your car is towed:

• Try to figure out why your car was towed. Did you not see a posted “No Parking” sign? Did you miss a car payment? Did you return to a lot where you have unpaid citations? Finding the reason can narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
• Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some form of contact information via a posted sign or sent by mail.
• Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but those times will be posted to the website or can be recited by a representative.
• Pay the fees. Be careful to be as prompt as possible, as some tow yards may charge storage fees by the day.

If you feel your vehicle was wrongfully towed, contesting the action can be done with the following steps:

• Be prompt – many states have a small window of time where it’s acceptable to file a complaint against a company that wrongfully towed the vehicle.
• Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
• Get familiar with your local laws, as laws for towing companies vary per state.
• Try speaking with the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight, and the matter can be resolved quickly.
• Contact the Justice of the Peace in your area, as they may have more insight or resources to help. They are often utilized for towing cases.
• Talk to a lawyer. Many lawyers have free case consultations, and depending on the case, it may be worth it to utilize a lawyer.

Source: Oregon Department of Justice , National General , Rak Law Firm

TOW HELP

While the driver claimed a group of onlookers sprung into action to help, another driver said he is fighting back against towing companies to help residents.

Ronnie Lewis said his car was towed after he spent a night at one of his friend’s apartments.

He was able to fight back against the imposed $156 towing bill.

But Lewis said the ticket inspired a further call to action.

“It is a very tedious process,” he said about working to get his refund.

But Lewis said he noticed that towing was more common in lower income communities.

He is advocating for stricter regulations on towing companies and spoke during a meeting with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to state his case.

“The law is the same whether I am in El Paso, Oak Cliff, or Las Colinas, but the treatment of people appears to differ,” he told Texas -based Fox affiliate KDFW .

“And that is why I have been digging into this because everyone should be treated fairly.”