Towing
Accident towing after a collision, from scene to storage yard
The short answer
Accident recovery is the work that follows a collision: clearing the vehicle out of the lane, sweeping glass and fluid, moving it to a shop or a yard, and leaving you the paperwork a claim needs. Who chooses the destination depends on whether you called the tow or the police did.
When a collision becomes a recovery job
The car moves, but it should not be driven
Airbags deployed, a wheel out of line, coolant on the pavement, or a warning light that was not on before. Any of those makes the drive home the thing that turns a repairable car into a write-off.
It is blocking a live lane
A vehicle in traffic is a hazard first and a claim second. Police frequently order a tow to clear the road, and once they do, the company and the destination are theirs to name rather than yours.
There is debris and fluid across the road
Sweeping glass and plastic and putting absorbent down on spilled fluid is a separate task from moving the vehicle, and it is billed as its own line. The lane does not reopen until somebody has done it.
The vehicle left the pavement
Down an embankment, into a ditch or onto its roof, the car has to be rigged and recovered before it can be towed at all. That is time on scene, and it is the line most likely to surprise you on the invoice.
What to do, in order
Make the scene safe, then call it in
People first: away from the traffic side, behind a barrier where there is one, hazards on. Call the police if anyone is hurt, if a lane is blocked, or if you will need a report for the claim. Then arrange the tow.Photograph everything before anything moves
The position of the vehicles, the damage on every panel, the plates, the debris field and the road surface. Once the truck lifts, that scene is gone, and those photographs are what an adjuster ends up working from.Name the destination out loud
If you are arranging the tow, you choose where it goes: a body shop, a dealer, your own driveway. Settle that on the phone rather than at the yard gate. A vehicle with no named destination goes into storage by default.The vehicle is recovered, the scene is cleared
The operator rigs and lifts, sweeps the debris and treats any spilled fluid before the lane reopens. Cleanup is a separate line from the tow, and so is winching, if the car has to come back onto the pavement first.Get it out of storage quickly
Storage is charged by the day and grows while a decision is pending. Ask the yard what the daily rate is, what hours it releases vehicles, and what proof of ownership it wants, before you drive over.
Upfront pricing
What a collision tow costs
A collision tow is a car tow with extra lines on it. The hook-up fee and the loaded mileage look like any other job. What changes the invoice is recovery time if the vehicle left the pavement, scene cleanup, and daily storage once it lands in a yard. These are indicative estimates rather than a quote, and the operator confirms the final price before dispatch.
| Service | Typical range | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Hook-up fee | $50 – $125per call | Loading and securing the vehicle, before any mileage is added. |
| Local tow, up to 40 miles | $3 – $7per mile | |
| Recovery before the tow can start | $100 – $250per call | Rigging and winching a vehicle back onto the pavement. Usually billed for time on the line. |
| Minimum charge | $95per call | Nothing is dispatched below this, however short the move. |
Estimates only. Final price confirmed by the local operator before dispatch.
What moves this price
- Whether the vehicle has to be recovered before it is towed. A car on the pavement is a straight load. One in a ditch, against a barrier or on its roof is rigged and pulled first, and that time is billed on its own.
- Scene cleanup. Glass, plastic and spilled fluid have to be swept and absorbed before a lane reopens, and that work is a separate line from moving the vehicle.
- Who ordered the tow. A tow you arrange is priced and agreed with you. A tow ordered by police or a lot owner is arranged without you, goes where they choose, and is released against whatever has accrued.
- How long the vehicle sits. Storage is charged by the day, and several states regulate the rate and require it to be itemized. It is the only line that grows while you do nothing.
Where these ranges come from
- CT Mirror — CT DMV raises towing rates, but tow companies say it is not enoughChecked August 30, 2026
- Connecticut DMV — Towing procedures and ratesChecked August 30, 2026
A tow you call against a tow ordered for you
Two different transactions with the same truck in the middle. Which one you are in decides almost everything that follows.
| What matters | A tow you call | A police or property tow |
|---|---|---|
| Who picks the company | You do. | A rotation list, or the owner of the lot. |
| Who picks the destination | You do: a shop, a dealer, your driveway. | They do, and it is usually a yard. |
| When the price is agreed | Before anyone is dispatched. | Afterward, against a published schedule where one exists. |
| Storage | Only if you ask for it. | From the moment the vehicle arrives, by the day. |
| What is regulated | Little beyond ordinary consumer law. | Several states cap the rate and require an itemized invoice. |
If you are able to make the call yourself, make it. Naming the company and the destination is the only part of a collision tow you control, and it is also what decides whether storage starts at all. Once a lane has to be cleared, that choice usually passes to whoever ordered the truck.
Where these statements come from
Anything numeric or regulatory on this page carries the document it was read from and the date it was checked against it. A claim with no source is left off the page.
Connecticut sets a DMV-approved maximum base charge of $130.63 for a nonconsensual tow of a vehicle under 10,000 lbs, with mileage at $6.65 a mile after the first two miles and billable mileage capped at 13 miles, giving a maximum mileage charge of $86.45.
CT Mirror — CT DMV raises towing rates, but tow companies say it is not enoughChecked August 30, 2026
Connecticut also caps what a yard may charge to keep the vehicle: for a towed vehicle under 20 feet, $26 a day outside and $30 a day inside for the first five days, then $31 outside and $37 inside, alongside a $50 drop fee and a $50 after-hours redemption fee.
CT Mirror — CT DMV raises towing rates, but tow companies say it is not enoughChecked August 30, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Who decides where my car is taken after a crash?
You do, when you are able to call the tow yourself: name the body shop, the dealer or the address, and the operator takes it there. If police order the vehicle cleared, it goes to a yard on their rotation list and you collect it from there. Say the destination on the phone, because a car with none named goes to storage by default.
What is a nonconsensual tow?
Any tow arranged without the owner agreeing to it: ordered by police after a collision, or by the owner of a lot the vehicle was parked in. The company is chosen for you, the destination is theirs, and the bill is settled when you collect. Several states publish a maximum rate schedule for precisely this situation.
How quickly should I get the car out of the yard?
As soon as you have somewhere for it to go. Storage is charged by the day and it is the only line on the bill that grows while you wait. If the insurer has not decided yet, ask whether they will move the vehicle to their own facility, and ask the yard about its release hours and paperwork.
Is scene cleanup really charged separately?
Yes, and it should be itemized. Sweeping glass and plastic and putting absorbent on spilled fluid is work the lane cannot reopen without, and it is not part of hooking a car to a truck. Where a state regulates tow pricing it generally requires this kind of extra service to appear as its own line.
The car still drives. Do I need a tow at all?
Ask whether it should be driven, not whether it can be. Deployed airbags, a wheel out of line, fluid on the pavement, a missing headlight, or a warning light that is new since the impact all make the drive home a risk to you and to the claim. When the answer is uncertain, the tow is the cheaper mistake.
Last updated
Gear
The camera that settles the claim
Fault is decided on evidence, and a camera that was already recording is the cheapest evidence there is. The specification that matters is not the one on the front of the box.
- Best front-onlyROVE R2-4K Front Dash Cam (WiFi 6, GPS)
- Best value front+rearREDTIGER F7N 4K Front + Rear Dash Cam
- Best for rideshareVantrue N4 Pro S 4K 3-Channel Dash Cam (Triple STARVIS 2)
Tell us where the car is and where it should go
Naming the destination on the phone is what keeps a collision tow out of a storage yard. Send the location, the damage, and the address you want the vehicle taken to.
Estimates only. The local operator confirms the final price before dispatch.