Can you unload a car from a flatbed tow truck that's stuck in park without causing damage to car and transmiss

Question

My Benz was towed (front of my car was facing the rear of the tow truck) by flatbed because the Electronic Ignition was not functioning. Could not be started could not be taken out of park. My wife saw the vehicle being unloaded from the flatbed at the dealership. The tow driver lifted the flatbed and began jolting the vehicle down the ramp using the hydraulics. Once the nose of the car (not the wheels) were on the ground he continued to jolt the vehicle down the ramp grinding and smashing the front of the car on the ground approximately 7 times until the front wheels finally reached the ground. There is damage to the front bumper and potentially the front inner structure. Is there a way the tow driver could have moved the vehicle off the flat bed without causing damage to the vehicle? What recourse do I have?

Answer 1

It's done all the time, and YES it damages vehicles.  but it continues, hundred of times, everywhere, every day.

Get an inspection on the car, not a teardown, but a good road test and report, diagnostics if possible.

Then, send the bill to the towing co.

Answer 2

i will be calm about this subject. i live in toronto ontario canada and owned a 1964 oldsmobile convert. it broke down, i called a tow truck, was told 2 leave the keys in the glovebox which i did and went home. went 2 my local garage  2 pick it up. this car was mint after 3 years of restoration. paid the bill went out and found 3 large gouges in my front bumper caused by the tow trucks chains. i went too my local cop shop got a report done took pictures of the damage and got a price to rechrome the bumper plus labor. cooled off and went 2 the tow company and showed the damage. they said they were not responsible. called insurance co. and told them, they went down 2 the tow company with recent pictures of my car along with the appraisle sheet. 4 days later my car was fixwed 2 original with a written apology from the tow truck driver and one from the owner. the moral of this story is go after these morons and demand they fix what damage caused by their crummy service. but try 2 stay calm. good luck mike. i still have the car and it runs fine especially with that nice newly chromed front bumper.

Answer 3

I know they do this kind of stuff on a daily base's,All there thinking about is getting the car from point A to point B at any cost.If your car is rear wheel drive then he could have unhook the drive shaft and the car would have rolled right off the tow truck.

Answer 4

Bad tow truck driver, the nose of the vehicle should have never come in contact with the vehicle.

When the vehicle is stuck in park (RWD) or the parking brake set, the vehicle is slid off of the truck bed using a tire wedge that slides easily on the steel bed, then may be lifted by the frame (so the rear wheels are hanging in the air) but this doesn't cause any damage because the frame is the lowest point of the vehicle. The bed is fully extended then lowered so that the rear tires of the towed vehicle come in contact with the ground, then the truck bed is retracted from underneath the vehicle and the rear tires hold the vehicle in place as the front tires roll.

If the car was lifted by the nose using the bed, there is a chance that damage occured.

Answer 5

Some auto manufactures put a little cover over a switch next to the shifter that when pressed with a pen, allows you to take the car out of park to move the car without starting it or a dead battery. I'm sure Benz thought of this too.