If a tow yard holds your car after an Arizona injury crash, find out who ordered the tow, why the yard is holding the vehicle, what access requires, and whether an inspection should occur before repair or disposal. These questions affect different tasks, so request clear answers for each one.
A hospital visit can leave you unable to deal with the car for several days. A trusted person may help make calls, but the yard, insurer, or investigating agency may require written authorization before that person can retrieve property or approve a transfer. Confirm the requirements before anyone travels to the facility.
Locate the car and identify the reason for the hold
Start with the tow sheet, exchange paperwork, or investigating agency. Record the yard’s full name, physical address, telephone number, and vehicle reference number. Verify the vehicle by plate or VIN when possible. A company can operate more than one storage location.
Ask whether the vehicle is simply in collision storage or subject to a law-enforcement hold or statutory impound. Those situations can involve different release procedures. A yard employee may be able to explain its own requirements while directing you to the agency for permission it cannot provide.
The Arizona DPS Tow Service Program describes procedures for vehicles handled through DPS, including distinctions based on why the vehicle was towed. A city or county agency may have a separate process. Use the instructions that match your actual tow rather than assuming one statewide release procedure applies.
Ask for the costs in writing
Request an itemized statement showing towing, storage, and other charges, the dates covered, and when additional charges accrue. Ask about available payment methods, business hours, and the documents needed for release. Keep the person’s name and the time of the conversation in your call notes.
Send the written statement to the insurer handling vehicle damage and ask which charges it is evaluating. Do not assume that a claim number means the company accepted every expense. If someone says the car must move to avoid additional charges, ask for the instruction and proposed destination in writing.
Do not ignore storage notices while an injury claim develops. At the same time, do not authorize disposal solely because someone says the vehicle has no repair value. A damaged car can contain evidence even when it will not return to the road.
If the yard or insurer has proposed a transfer or sale, contact Wood Injury Law with the notice and the date given. The team can discuss whether the injury investigation creates an inspection issue.
Separate personal-property access from vehicle release
You may need a wallet, medication, work equipment, or documents from the car. Ask the yard what it requires for access and whether an agency hold limits retrieval. Describe any urgent item when calling. Do not assume that permission to collect a bag also authorizes driving, towing, repairing, or selling the car.
Bring identification and the requested ownership or authorization documents. If another person will go for you, verify the exact authorization format. Ask whether staff will escort that person and whether photographs are allowed under the yard’s procedures.
Make a short list of what was removed, who removed it, and when. Leave attached equipment and damaged components alone until you have discussed evidence needs. If you remove a dashcam or memory card with permission, preserve the original device and files and note the circumstances.
Document the condition without performing an inspection yourself
If access is permitted and safe, photographs can record the vehicle’s appearance, identifying labels, cabin, and loose belongings. Keep wide views that show context as well as details. Do not crawl under the vehicle, touch damaged electrical systems, or attempt to start a car that may be unsafe.
Record whether you are photographing the vehicle at the tow yard, repair shop, or another location. A later image may show damage from handling or parts removed during inspection. Knowing when and where the image was taken helps a reviewer compare it with scene photographs.
Ask the yard whether it has intake photos or a tow record. It may not release everything on an informal request, but your attorney can assess the appropriate process. Preserve any documents you do receive, including pages that appear administrative.
Coordinate the next destination
Before approving a move, identify who requested it, where the car will go, who will pay, and whether the move permits repair or disposal. A transfer to a repair facility differs from a salvage sale. Read the actual authorization and ask about language you do not understand.
If an expert inspection is being considered, your attorney can coordinate with the owner, insurer, storage facility, and other interested parties. A plan may allow evidence collection while addressing ongoing storage costs. The details depend on access rights, the vehicle’s condition, and the disputed issues.
Keep a movement log with departure and arrival dates, towing companies, and contact information. If the insurer changes vendors, update the log. Losing track of the vehicle after the first move can make a later inspection more difficult.
Keep the property and injury files connected
The same collision can generate separate communications about vehicle damage and bodily injury. Our guide to property damage and bodily injury claims explains why you may speak with different adjusters. Send an important vehicle-preservation concern to your attorney even if the letter came from the property adjuster.
Arizona DIFI’s automobile insurance guidance describes coverage categories, but your policy and the circumstances control what the insurer evaluates. Ask which coverage is paying for towing or storage, whether a deductible applies, and whether any decision remains pending.
If the company declares a total loss, retain the valuation and the proposed title or release documents. The WIL total-loss resource addresses valuation questions. Evidence preservation and valuation can require separate conversations even when they concern the same car.
Questions to resolve before signing
Does the document authorize movement only, or also repair, dismantling, sale, or disposal? Does it release any claims beyond vehicle damage? Who keeps the original records and removed parts? Is the vehicle available for an inspection before the proposed action?
Ask for a copy to review rather than relying on a verbal description. If a deadline appears in the paperwork, record the date you received it and seek advice promptly. Do not invent your own extension because the injury claim remains open.
Illustrative example: an insurer requests permission to move a car to reduce storage charges. The owner agrees to the move but wants an expert inspection before dismantling. The practical task is obtaining clear written arrangements addressing both concerns; an assumption that everyone understands the plan leaves room for confusion.
Call Wood Injury Law at (480) 937-2116 to discuss an Arizona injury crash and a vehicle still in storage. Bring the tow sheet, itemized bill, insurer correspondence, and any proposed authorization so the conversation can focus on the next decision.
What if the car belongs to someone else?
Tell the yard and your attorney whether you own, lease, finance, or borrowed the vehicle. The registered owner, lienholder, and driver may have different roles in approving access, movement, or disposition. Do not sign as the owner when you are only an authorized driver. Keep the rental or loan paperwork and ask the relevant company which person can authorize the proposed step.
If the owner is hospitalized too, explain that situation before sending a relative to the yard. Ask which documents the facility accepts for an authorized representative. A telephone explanation from a family member may not satisfy its requirements, and repeated trips can add avoidable delays.
Sources
General information; the application of law depends on the facts and relevant policy. Featured image is an AI-generated illustration.
