Accident Recovery

Where do cars get towed after an accident? Most go to one of four places: a body shop you pick, the tow company’s yard, a police impound lot, or your home. Who decides depends on who called the truck and whether police need the car. At Redline Roadside & Towing LLC, we answer this question for Phoenix drivers often. This guide helps you find your car, choose where it goes, and avoid extra fees. The steps are short and easy to follow, even on a rough day. Where Do Cars Get Towed After an Accident? The 4 Usual Places Four places cover almost every crash tow. Which one you get depends on who called the truck, where the car sits, and whether police need to keep it. A body shop you pick. This is the best case. You can talk, the car isn’t evidence, and you name a repair shop. The truck takes it there. The tow company’s yard. Police often call the truck when a car blocks the road or the driver is hurt. If no one names a shop, the car goes to the tow yard, also called a storage lot. Storage fees start there. A police impound lot. After a crash with a crime, like a DUI or a hit and run, police may place a police hold on the car. In Phoenix, the lot is usually run by a contract tow company. You can’t take the car until police release it. Your home or a dealership. If the damage is light, a flatbed can take the car to your driveway or your dealer. Many drivers pick this when the repair plan isn’t set yet. Not sure which one fits you? The next sections show how to choose and how to find the car. Can You Choose Where Your Car Is Towed After an Accident? Yes, you can choose where your car is towed after an accident, provided you are uninjured, coherent, and the vehicle isn’t needed as police evidence. Simply give the driver your preferred drop-off address before the hook-up begins. However, if you are incapacitated or blocking traffic, police will order a non-consensual tow using a local rotation list or zone contract, routing your vehicle directly to an impound lot. Do these things at the scene: Say your drop-off address out loud. Ask for the company name and phone number. Get the tow slip before the truck leaves. Take photos of the car from all sides. Remove your valuables, like your wallet, phone, and ID. Don’t sign blank forms. The tow slip is your proof. It lists the company, the lot, and the car. If the tow driver says you have no choice, ask the officer on scene. A calm, clear request works best. You’re the driver, and it’s your car. How to Find Out Where Your Car Was Towed Work through these steps in order. Most people find the car by step three. Check the tow slip. It shows the company name, the lot address, and a phone number. Call the police non-emergency line. Give your report number. Dispatch can tell you which company took the car. In Phoenix, the city asks you to start with police before you call a contract tow company. Call the tow company that serves that zone. Ask for your car by plate or VIN. Use the company’s online vehicle locator. Many yards let you type in a plate or VIN and see if the car is there. Check with the hospital. If an ambulance took you, ask staff to reach the officer. The officer can say where the car went. Try 311. If your city has a 311 line, ask them. They can often point you to the right office. Be careful out there. Confirm the company is a licensed tow company with a real lot. A real lot has a street address, posted hours, and a person at the desk. Don’t pay anyone who texts you from an unknown number. Don’t pay before you see proof that they hold your car. What Happens to Your Car After an Accident Here is the usual path, from the crash to the next step. Hook-up at the scene. The driver checks the car and picks a method, like a flatbed or wheel lift. Then they secure it. New to tow terms? Our guide, What Is the Meaning of Tow, explains them in plain words. Transport. The truck takes the car to the drop-off you chose, or to the yard if no one chose. Photos and inventory. Many lots photograph the car and list what’s inside. Ask for a copy. Storage. The car sits in the lot. Daily storage fees start counting. Hold or release. If police placed a hold, the car stays put. Once police release it, you can claim it. Repair, total loss, or salvage. A shop writes a repair estimate. If repairs cost more than the car is worth, it’s a total loss. A total loss car often goes to a salvage yard. Each day in storage adds cost. Moving fast on steps four and five saves money. What Towing and Storage Cost Prices change by city, so here is a real example. These are Phoenix police contract rates from the city’s 2025 schedule. They apply to police-ordered tows in Phoenix only. Check the Phoenix Police towing page for the current sheet. Base tow rate for a vehicle under 10,000 pounds: $65.46 After-hours gate fee: $75 per visit, from 6:31 p.m. to 7:59 a.m. Mileage outside the city: $10 per mile Storage rate: capped at $25 a day under A.R.S. 28-3511 and $15 a day under Phoenix City Code 23-55 City fee for 28-3511 impounds: $150 Redline’s accident recovery costs range from $100 to $500, with exact quotes provided before vehicle hookup based on the specific vehicle type and crash severity. Five core factors drive the final bill: the vehicle’s GVWR weight class, special circumstances (like rollovers that require extra gear and time), daily storage accumulation, after-hours

Getting into a car accident is scary, even when it’s minor. Your hands shake, your thoughts race, and it’s hard to think clearly. Knowing what to do in a car accident before it happens can protect your safety, your wallet, and your legal rights later on. Here’s the short version. Check for injuries, get to safety, document everything, and contact your insurer. The rest of this guide breaks down each step so you’re not guessing in the moment. Quick Answer Checklist Check yourself and passengers for injuries. Move to a safe spot if the car still drives and it’s safe to do so. Turn on hazard lights and call 911. Exchange information and photograph the scene. File a police report if required, then start your insurance claim. Check for Injuries and Get to Safety Adrenaline can hide pain for several minutes after a crash. You might feel fine and still have a real injury. Sit still for a moment and check your arms, legs, neck, and back before you move. If everyone can walk and the car still runs, move it out of traffic. Staying in a live lane after a wreck is one of the most common ways people get hurt in a second, worse collision. Turn on your hazard lights the second the car stops moving, even before you check on anyone else. If you carry road flares or reflective triangles, set them out behind your vehicle so oncoming traffic sees you early. Then call 911. Tell the dispatcher your location, how many people are involved, and whether anyone looks hurt. Mention if an airbag deployed, since that alone can cause bruising, burns, or a broken wrist that isn’t obvious right away. When You Can’t Move Your Car Out of the Road Sometimes moving isn’t an option. The car won’t start, a door is jammed, or someone is pinned and shouldn’t be moved at all. In that case, stay buckled, keep your hazards on, and wait. A non-drivable vehicle sitting in a live lane is a serious traffic hazard, especially on a highway shoulder at night.  If you can safely exit through a door away from traffic, do it and get behind a guardrail or well off the roadway. If you can’t get out safely, stay put and wait for police or a tow truck. Don’t try to push a car out of traffic yourself. That’s how a fender bender turns into someone getting hit by a passing car. Document the Scene Before You Leave Once everyone is safe, start gathering information. This step protects you more than almost anything else you’ll do. Get the other driver’s name, phone number, driver’s license number, license plate, and insurance policy number. Take a photo of their insurance card and driver’s license if they’re willing. Write down the VIN if you can see it on the dashboard through the windshield. Photograph the damage to both vehicles from four angles: front, back, and both sides. Photograph the full scene too, including skid marks, road signs, and traffic signals. Note the weather and time, since time-stamped photos from your phone usually record this automatically. If anyone saw the crash happen, get their name and phone number as a witness statement. People who stop to help rarely stick around long, so ask right away. Do You Need to Call the Police? In most states, you’re required to call the police if the crash caused an injury, a death, or property damage above a set dollar amount. That threshold varies by state, and it’s usually somewhere between $1,000 and $2,500. In Arizona, for example, officers are required to file a written accident report when a crash results in injury, death, or property damage over $2,000, or when a citation is issued (Arizona Revised Statutes § 28-667). Even when a crash falls under that number, calling anyway is smart. Part of knowing what to do in a car accident is understanding that a report protects you even when it isn’t required. A police report gives you an official accident report number, and it becomes the record insurance companies and the DMV rely on if the other driver later changes their story. When in doubt, call. What to Do When You Have a Car Accident That Isn’t Your Fault If the crash wasn’t your fault, what happens next depends heavily on your state’s insurance system. In an at-fault state, the driver who caused the crash (or their insurer) pays for damages through a liability claim. In a no-fault state, your own insurance typically covers your medical bills first, regardless of who caused the wreck, though you can still pursue the at-fault driver for serious injuries or property damage.  If the other driver had no insurance or not enough of it, your uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage is what kicks in instead. Check your policy now, before you ever need it, so you know which type of coverage you’re carrying. If the Other Driver Takes Off A hit-and-run leaves you with no other driver to exchange information with, so shift your focus fast. Write down as much of their license plate as you saw, even a partial one helps. Note the car’s color, make, and approximate model. If you have a dashcam, save the footage immediately before it gets overwritten. Call the police and file a report right away. This isn’t optional here, since a report is usually required to file an uninsured motorist claim for a hit-and-run. Ask any witnesses if they caught the plate or got video on their own phone. Getting Towed Safely: What to Check Before Anyone Hooks Up Your Car Predatory towing scams often involve unrequested operators pressuring accident victims into costly, unauthorized impoundments, with legitimate services typically costing between $75 and $250. For secure accident recovery in the West Valley, licensed and insured operators provide upfront pricing and transparent documentation without hidden fees. You can contact Redline Roadside & Towing LLC for assistance. Starting Your Insurance Claim Call your insurance company