‘I was infuriated,’ says driver after city tows car and sells it for scrap – she took drastic measures to get money back

A DRIVER is getting some money back after towing authorities grabbed her car and sold it for scraps.

The car owner settled a lawsuit after her tow operators snagged and sold her car – she refuted allegations that her vehicle had been parked illegally.

Getty

Getty

Ameera Shaheed was one of two drivers who sued the city of Wilmington, Deleware .

Both car owners alleged the city’s parking enforcement rules infringed on their constitutional rights after the vehicles had been towed.

Authorities claimed they left six parking tickets on Shaheed’s car in nine days.

After they weren’t immediately paid, city authorities allegedly sent a tow truck to grab her car.

Shaheed appealed all of the parking tickets, saying the car was properly parked the whole time.

However, during her appeal, the privately owned tow lot continued to count the number of days, and fees were racked up on Shaheed’s car.

The lot said it would keep her car impounded until she paid the $320 in fines for the six parking tickets.

After 30 days, the towing company sold the vehicle for scraps.

At the time, the sale was entirely legal per city code.

According to the lawsuit, the towing company also kept the cash for themselves.

“They just want to do things to get money out of people,” Shaheed said in a video before the court date, according to local NPR station WHYY .

“I was mad. I was infuriated because they weren’t giving me answers.”

Shaheed joined a lawsuit, argued by the Institute of Justice, with another Wilmington resident.

The other plaintiff in the case, Earl Dickerson, also lost his car after towing authorities asked him to fork over $910.

Another towing company also sold Dickerson’s car.

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

“I’m looking to get my car, or the value of my car, back so that I can relax and try to rebuild what I’ve lost,” Dickerson told the NPR station.

Before the civil lawsuit could move to trial, the city and both car owners reached a tentative settlement agreement that ensures a cash payment for their next vehicle and changes in rules that could impact future drivers, according to Deleware Online .

Shaheed and Dickerson will each receive $20,000 payments.

The city also agreed to strengthen its communications after drivers receive parking tickets and allow drivers to negotiate parking fees if they continue to receive several tickets.

“They are the latest in a series of improvements by the city to its parking regulations that the city began prior to the litigation,” Wilmington’s communication director, Paul Ford, told the publication.

“The settlement will become final after the city has implemented the (agreed upon) changes.”