Minute one: people before cars
Shock does strange things to judgment, so it helps to have an order of operations already in your head. The first job is the people. Check yourself, then your passengers, then the other driver. Anyone with neck or back pain, confusion, or trouble breathing should stay still, and that means calling 911 right away.
Next, think about traffic. On a busy road such as Broad Street, Morse Road or any stretch of I-270, a second collision is a real danger. If the cars can be driven and nobody is hurt, move them out of the travel lanes to the shoulder or a nearby lot. If a car cannot move, turn on the hazard lights, and if it is safe to get out, stand well away from the vehicles, behind a guardrail when one is available. Do not stand between two damaged cars.
What Ohio expects of drivers at the scene
We are a towing company, not lawyers, so take this as general orientation and check with your insurer or an attorney for your situation. Broadly, Ohio law expects drivers involved in a crash to stop, help anyone who is injured, and exchange names, addresses, registration and insurance information with the other parties. If you hit an unattended car or property, you are expected to make a reasonable effort to find the owner or leave your information.
Calling the police is the safe choice for anything beyond a minor scrape, and it is necessary when someone is hurt. An officer's report gives your insurer an independent account. Ask the officer how and when you can get a copy; reports are generally available from the agency that responded, whether that was the city police, a county sheriff or the Ohio State Highway Patrol on the interstates.
Photos and notes worth taking
Your phone is the best tool you have at a crash scene. Take more pictures than you think you need, because you cannot go back for them later.
- Wide shots showing where both cars came to rest, lane markings and traffic signals.
- Close-ups of damage on every vehicle, including yours, from several angles.
- The other driver's license, insurance card and license plate.
- Road conditions: wet pavement, debris, a missing stop sign, glare, construction barrels.
- Names and phone numbers of any witnesses who stopped.
- A short voice memo describing what happened while it is fresh, for your own reference.
Choosing where the car is towed
If your car cannot be driven, it is going on a truck. At many scenes, especially when the car is blocking lanes or the driver is taken to the hospital, police call a tow company from their own rotation list, and you may not get a say in the first move. When the scene is stable and you are able to make the call, you can generally ask for the company you prefer. Officers may still require a faster option if your truck is far away.
Where the car goes matters more than which truck takes it. You have three realistic options: your home, a body shop you choose, or a tow yard. A shop is usually best, because that is where an adjuster will need to see the car. If you do not have a shop, we can suggest an independent partner that handles inspections and estimates; our repair page explains how that works. Going straight to the shop also avoids paying for a second tow out of storage.
Our accident towing service covers the job itself, including sweeping loose glass and parts from the lane and loading the car on a flatbed so damaged suspension or drivetrain parts are not dragged.
Empty the car before it leaves
Once a damaged car is hooked up, it may be days before you see it again, and if the insurer declares it a total loss it may go from the yard straight to an auction lot. Take a few minutes while the operator prepares the deck to collect anything you will need. The driver will usually wait while you do it, as long as the scene is safe and the police have cleared you to move around the vehicle.
- Wallet, phone chargers, house keys and any garage door opener clipped to the visor.
- Registration and insurance papers from the glove box; you will need them for the claim.
- Prescriptions, work laptops, tools and anything in the trunk or under the seats.
- Child car seats. Safety agencies generally advise replacing a seat that was in a moderate or severe crash, and many insurers cover the cost, so keep the seat and ask.
- Toll transponders, parking permits and dash camera memory cards, which may hold useful footage.
If the crash happens at night or on the interstate
Darkness and highway speed change the priorities. On I-70, I-71 or the outerbelt, a disabled car is a hazard for everyone approaching it, and stepping out to photograph damage can be the most dangerous thing you do all night. Let the troopers or officers set up their lights first, and take your pictures once the scene is protected. If you cannot get photos safely, say so in your notes; the police report and the tow operator's records can fill some of the gap.
Our emergency towing dispatch runs every hour of the year. A late-night surcharge applies from 10 PM until 6 AM, and the dispatcher folds it into the quote before the truck rolls.
Storage fees: the quiet cost after a wreck
Storage charges are where many crash bills grow without anyone noticing. Most yards charge by the day, and claims can take time: the adjuster has to schedule an inspection, the insurer has to decide whether to repair or total the car, and all the while the meter runs. Our own storage rate is $45 per day for a standard vehicle, published on our rates page, and other yards set their own.
Three habits keep this under control. First, ask the tow company where the car is going and get the yard's address and hours in writing or a text. Second, tell your insurer right away where the car is, so they can schedule their inspection quickly. Third, if the car will be a total loss, ask the insurer how soon they will move it, and keep a record of every day it sits so you can raise questions about charges later.
The rest of the day
Call your insurer before the end of the day, even if the other driver was at fault. Most policies require prompt notice. Keep receipts for the tow, any rideshare home and a rental car. If you start to feel stiff or sore later, see a doctor; injuries from a crash do not always show up right away.
If the crash happened on a rural road in the fall, there is a good chance a deer was involved. Our guide to deer collisions in Ohio covers the parts of that situation that differ from a two-car crash. And if the problem turned out to be mechanical rather than a collision, the breakdown steps in what to do when your car breaks down in Columbus will be more useful.