So.. I spend the winter doing a frame-on got the rust off primed and repainted everything.  Finally Sunday it's done and I go to back off the ramps and the pin holding my clutch linkage to the engine block sheers off at the block.  OK I'm used to things like this so I use my AAA card and a tow truck comes out.  The guy driving the wrecker (great name) is a wonderful cat - treated the vette like it was ihis own took almost two hours to ramp it up because I have it sitting so close to the ground.  He finishes and is off to the engine shop.  About 20 minutes later he is back in my driveway saying "I feel like crap, I feel like crap".  And I know something terrible had to have happened.  When we were under the hood looking for a safe place to chain up neither one of us thought to relock the hood.  So he's driving and a cop pulls him over and tells him the hood blew off the care about a mile back.  I had this thing not only custom painted but the underside flamed and ceramic coated - about a two grand investment to custom that '76 to fit.  Now he's got the hood and the pieces that broke off - luckily only the support frame pulled off - no scrathes on the top or underside flames, couple of minor cracks along the edge - very fixable it would seem.  But he starts telling me how this is my fault.  I am biting my tongue figuring he's just panicking so I keep my cool and when he leaves to get the rest of the vette to the shop I take a drive with the hood to the body shop the wrecker works out of - AND THEY LOOK AT ME AND SAY "WELL IT'S NOT OUR FAULT, BEFORE HE LEFT YOU SHOULD HAVE MADE SURE THE HOOD WAS LATCHED SOLID."   Wait a minute "MY FAULT?"  so being the logical keep your cool guy I'm trying to be I pick up my cell phone and call AAA for support.  Their comment - you guessed it - "Hey we're just a referal service - this is between you and the shop."   So here I am with a great clean C3 customed with that unique fitting hood - and I am SOL.   It's going to be a long lonely summer without that car.

Man, that's just awful. I hate to hear stories like that.

Seems par for the course. AAA is never responsible for anything. Rarely does a vehicle get towed without some damage. You may not notice it immediately but they messed something up. This is just my experience. I manage a fleet of over 1600 vehicles and a a few are towed daily. I don't know how to avoid it. You can certainly sue the tow company in small claims court but it takes so much of your valuble time. I always tense up when I have to call for a tow.

Scott
ranger32007-05-20 20:11:54

That sucks!

Have your family attorney send a polite letter to the company explaining that their insurance company will be getting the repair bill.

Sorry to hear about the misfortunate accident Ken. Was the car on a rollback or hooked to a wrecker? If I ever need a tow, I always insist on a rollback. Never had any damage loading or unloading.

Jim sorta hit on my question...How the h e ll did the hood come off? Unless it was being towed from the rear, I just can't see how a rear opening hood could come up if the car is going forward.
Don't let these goons try to put this off on you...he is the tow driver, and it is his responsibility to secure the vehicle. End of discussion.

I had a heated argument last year with a tow driver over the targa top on the '85. He insisted I take it off before he would move. I axed him why he felt it was necessary for me to do that, and he says, "I lost one of them once...it just flew off"...Okay, so you're an idiot, why should I have to take the top off of my car because of that? I finally got him to bring us(and the car) home, after assuring him that the car had been driven WAAAAY faster than he would ever go in the wrecker, and the top ain't NEVER come off. Friggin loony-tooners...

Sorry to hear about your ordeal, tho...no matter who's fault it is, it still sux a big one...

Ken;Remember this link from 0ctober 8 2006 in General C3 Chit-Chat? "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln..."

I too had the misfortune to have AAA tow my baby and destroy the nose and tail. The upside is after AAA said they were just the pass-thru, I pursued further, having AAA provide me with the name of the wrecker's insurance company. They fought me, but in the end, I had a witness and that turned the table (thanks to 71Shark's wife).As the wrecker driver, he should be held to a higher standard of knowledge and safety performance as this is his profession. This is especially true if the guy has been a driver for a while. A good lawyer would eat them for lunch. You hired him to perform a service as he is the expert at towing, not you. There is no duty on your part to ensure the vehicle is safe for transport. The duty falls on the company. Assume the scenario of a car at an accident scene or on the side of the road and you are not with the vehicle. Is it then your responsibility to ensure that the vehicle is safe for transport.Also, if you know a cop, call him and ask him if the wrecker driver wouldn't have been issued a ticket for crap falling off his truck. They are liable in this situation and don't accept anything or sign anything until you have pursued this.Dwright is correct about a friendly letter from an attorney. If you don't have a family attorney, most will do the letter either for free or for a fee of around $100. I only threatened litigation with the insurance company and they became significantly more cooperative.Good Luck!



(corrected thread link)Adams' Apple2007-05-16 19:31:53