I’m out $300 after my car with my cancer medication inside was towed – but I have proof I was told it was safe to park

A CANCER survivor has claimed she was told to park illegally by an officer and then had to pay $300 to get her meds and truck back from the towing company.

DeAndrea Winchester claims to have video footage of the officer telling her he had said she could park on a state road illegally and plans to use it to get her money back.

WSOC TV

WSOC TV

WSOC TV

WSOC TV

Last week, Winchester was delighted to attend an annual rodeo event by the Ebony Horsemen Saddle Club in Moorseboro, North Carolina.

The event highlights black horsemen performing in various rodeo events.

It’s been an event for the town since 2008, and they didn’t need to enforce parking with a towing company partner.

This year’s event was large enough to prompt attendees to park along the side of a state road out of fear of not finding parking in the stadium’s dedicated lot.

During all other times, parking along the road is illegal.

The highway patrol flashed signs warning people not to park along the road after organizers expressed concern about emergency vehicle access.

However, Winchester and 30 other drivers said they didn’t see the signs.

They were also supposedly told by a State Trooper and a security officer that parking along the road would be fine.

She discovered the officials were mistaken a few hours later.

Her truck, and every other vehicle parked on the road, was towed.

“I get a phone call saying, ‘Hey, our cars are gone,’” Winchester told ABC affiliate WSOC-TV.

As a survivor, she’s careful to keep emergency medication in her truck.

With her truck gone, she worried about her access to the medication.

“It sent me into a high anxiety state which made me sick. Literally made me sick,” she said.

She was able to get the truck and her medication back, but it cost her dearly.

We had enough room for everybody to park here. Ebony Horsemen has no jurisdiction over a state road.

Kimberly Pryor, Ebony Horseman Saddle Club Organizer

“Now, I’m out of $300,” she recalled.

“As long as you got the cash you can get it; it’s a money thing.”

Kimberly Pryor, an event organizer, told the outlet that there was plenty of parking available for Winchester and the other drivers.

A photo from a drone showed the outlet how plentiful parking was, showing there was no need to park along the road.

Pryor also said they never called a tow truck.

“We did not call any tow truck. It does not benefit us,” she said.

“We had enough room for everybody to park here. Ebony Horsemen has no jurisdiction over a state road.”

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

She had also talked with the security team, which reportedly told Winchester and the others to park along the road.

“The security team, I talked to them. They told me they didn’t tell anyone to park on the side of the road,” she said.

Winchester, however, said there’s a video that proves otherwise.

She plans to use the video of a Trooper telling her it’s safe to park to dispute the towing fees.