Should I Hire an Attorney Referred by a Tow Truck Driver or Body Shop

Have you been involved in an accident and the tow truck driver appears out of now where to tow your car? In most cases they claim to have “witnessed” the entire accident and can help you find an attorney and a body shop to fix your car. Often times unsuspecting clients are tricked into thinking this is their only solution. These unscrupulous two truck drivers are not only breaking the law, but are also only working for themselves. Here is how the system works.

Tow Truck Driver Appearing Out of Nowhere

Here is a typical scenario. It is 5:30 PM you are leaving work on a crowded intersection, when you are involved in an accident. Either you or another party call the police and before they arrive a tow truck appears out of nowhere. They usually all have the same pitch, which goes something like “I saw the entire accident, I can be your witness”; or they try and force you out of your car to tow the vehicle to a “safe location”. In such cases many parties are not aware of what is going on and tend to believe the drivers. Generally you are not completely coherent or alert so you may make a bad decision and agree to listen to the driver. In most cases these renegade drivers are not sanctioned or affiliated with law enforcement. They use 3rd party lots or tow yards and body shops, who generally give a kick back or referral to them for every vehicle they deliver. In certain cases attorney are equally responsible for working in collusion with these drivers to obtain new business. These drivers generally use police scanners to listen for accident or distress calls. They immediately rush to the scene of the accident and act as if they noticed the entire incident take place. After you agree to take your car to their body shop or tow yard they provide you with their contact info. In many cases they will never return a call to the insurance company and will not cooperate with the insurance company to provide information.

Body Shop and Tow Truck Drivers Working Together

Body shops will work with Tow Truck companies to obtain new business. They will pay tow truck drivers who agree a certain fee for every vehicle that is brought to them for repair. In most cases these body shops will attempt to inflate the cost of the repair or will not do a proper repair job. They may use after market or used parts and fail to repair all the elements of your vehicle. As a result you will be forced to have the vehicle repaired again. As a rule of thumb never allow for a tow truck driver or any party to dictate who you select to represent you. This is article is not indicative of all tow truck drivers or the industry in its entirety. This article was written in response to the many clients we have seen be taken advantage of by such entities. Usually our office can still salvage the case, but sometimes we see irreversible damage done to the case. If you have been referred to either of these services by a tow truck driver consider getting a second opinion on your case. We will be happy to review your case at no charge and should we decide to accept the case you will not responsible for any additional attorney fees. Call us today to discuss this in more detail. [call_to_action button_text=”Tow Truck Accident Attorney” text=”Tow Truck Accident Victims in Los Angeles” color=”blue” size=”regular” url=”/practice-areas/truck-accident-lawyer/tow-truck-accident-attorney/” target=”” position=”bottom”]