Most Atlanta, Georgia drivers aren’t used to snow and ice. However, this year brought a snowstorm and freezing temperatures to the region, causing panic for residents. On January 21, temperatures dropped so low, that many local roads were frozen solid.
Teia Gamez was one of several drivers who were ill-equipped to tackle an icy hill while heading home. She noticed a handful of drivers were opting to leave their cars on the side of or in the middle of the road, hoping to return to them once the ice melted.
Drivers wrote and left notes on their windshields to declare they weren’t abandoned – just left there temporarily due to unsafe conditions.
“I sat in the car for a while really trying to make it up this hill until I got to the point of thinking, ‘You know I have to be one of those people that have to abandon my car to go home’,” she told WSB-TV.
Gamez was driven back to where she left her car and discovered it – and dozens of others – had been towed away.
Police say the abandoned vehicles presented a hazard to the community
Police Sgt. Ryan Collins told the outlet that officers waited as long as they possibly could before resorting to towing them away since he understood the hazardous conditions faced by drivers.
However, the risk of some vehicles parked in precarious positions made it necessary to forcibly move them.
“The police department obviously has a responsibility to keep people safe and in case there is an ambulance or any other first responders that need to get through – they have to be opened up,” he said.
A spokesperson for the department noted the vehicles were parked unsafely, citing GA Gode§ 40-6-206 (2023). The agency said drivers “should contact law enforcement by phone, just like they would do if they were involved in a traffic accident. A note on a windshield is not considered proper notification.”
Now, drivers are in the hole by almost $700 – and more the longer they’re in a tow yard
Gamez said when she discovered her abandoned car was towed, she was quoted an “insane” number to get it back.
“They told me over the phone that it would be $688,” she said over video. Erica Felder and her husband left their car on the same road and were quoted $600 to retrieve it. However, unlike Gamez, they can’t afford it.
“We’ve got to get milk, the food, groceries, and now we just have to walk because we don’t have transportation and it’s hard,” said Felder.
The longer it sits in the lot, the more storage fees it will collect. A policy that police say they have no control over.
Viewers were divided on whether or not the tow company was in the wrong
Many drivers felt those who abandoned their car deserved to be charged – particularly those who left them in the middle of the road.
“They left them there for too long and blocked the roads like they don’t have any sense,” wrote a viewer. “You can’t just leave your car in the middle of the road! Come on, people, we are adults. You can’t be mad at anyone but yourself. Responsibility is part of being a grown adult.”
Others said $600 or more was borderline criminal to charge people who were facing a scary and unusual scenario.
“$600 for a tow after a weather event is price gouging! Unbelievable!”
Another noted drivers were warned to stay home.
“No one forced them to drive or to abandon their vehicles. Plus, the roads they are on are pretty flat for the most part, any sensible driver would have avoided trying to go up or down a hill when it’s covered in snow and ice. They’re victims of their own making,” they wrote.
