Pulling Vehicles out of a Ditch in the Snow

[paulfun9]

If you towed them out for free, I would agree.
If you charged them (not them handing you a $10 or a $20 after when you didn't request anything, but you saying "I will tow you out for $20"), IMO you will be treated the same as a tow truck driver.



Thanks to subrogation (in most states), the car owner gave permission for their insurance company to sue others on their behalf to recover insured losses. The car owner has no say in the matter.
It's just like if you are injured at work and use your personal health insurance to pay the medical bills. If they find out, your health insurer will try to make your employer reimburse them for their expenses.

Aaron Z

You might want to dig deeper into this to find the not so common ways to fight them. Only reading what is easy to find and trying to work with what the laws the insurance companies readily use will keep you trapped.

 

[paulfun9]

What’s your area like? Flat, hills, trees? Is Wisconsin considered the mid-west? How common are drifts in the Midwest? They’re more rare near here than occasional.

I live at the top of a hill, some refer to this area as the flat hill. On the top it’s wide almost flat farmland with minor changes towards to outer edges. The center is mostly cleared farmland with tight paved old farm roads dividing mostly large fields with very light tree lines. So we get plenty of drifts along the top. Drifts around us like once down to the main roads are rather uncommon but up on top it’s like living in a different world.

 

[LouNY]

Always been told and heard,
if you charge them for a tow it's a commercial venture and you have liability,
if you tow them and they voluntarily donate to you it's not commercial and you have some protection.
So depending on how you word and talk things thru could make a difference.

Myself, I don't worry to much about it.

 

[aczlan]

Always been told and heard,
if you charge them for a tow it's a commercial venture and you have liability,
if you tow them and they voluntarily donate to you it's not commercial and you have some protection.
So depending on how you word and talk things thru could make a difference.

Myself, I don't worry to much about it.

Makes sense, my daily driver doesn't have tow points (other than suspension parts), so I can't really pull someone else out.
Even if it did I don't want the risk and most of the people I have seen are very stuck from going way too fast (or like the one I saw on Sat, it looked like they were possibly on their phone, crossed the centerline, overcorrected into the slush on the right side, then overcorrected the other way, went across the oncoming lane and deep into the ditch, probably 10-15 feet off of the road) so I will stop and make sure they are ok, have a tow on the way, etc.
Then (if they are ok) I let the County Sheriff's dispatch know that there is someone off the road at X address and leave it at that.
I have pulled people out, but it was generally someone I knew and they had a tow point on their car.

Aaron Z

 

[masscity]

Around 1987 Newark, CA I was on my way to work and drove past a fairly new Mustang, as I passed him I thought he might be stuck. I turned around and stopped by him and asked if was stuck, he said yes and I offered a pull.

I backed up to him and I had a 15 foot chain, told him to hook it to his car. He wasn't really stuck so it was very easy to pull him out. Backed my truck up to loosen the chain, as I'm getting out of my truck he shot by me.

I think he thought I was going to charge him and he dropped the chain and ran like crazy out of there. I wasn't going to charge him, I'm not a wrecker service, just wanted help. A thank you is all I wanted.

 

[PILOON]

Ever so often I'm asked how much $ ?

I always decline but when they repeat the offer I suggest we enjoy a glass of wine on occasion.
LOL, the quality they deliver reflects their appreciation level.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have found it darn near impossible to get people to give you the right booze/beer that you drink. You would pretty much have to agree to tatoo the name on their hand right then and there.

 

[5030]

The ONE time I never pull them out is when I'm travelling to one of my fields and pulling a wide implement and some idiot tries to get around me because they are in a big hurry to go nowhere and cannot wait until I have a place where I can get out of their way. Happens almost every summer.

I leave them in the ditch and laugh. I do call the LE and tell them there is an idiot in the ditch however.

Had one last fall. Idiot tried to get around me and went off the edge. I stopped and got out on the tractor step and he was shouting at me, wanting me to pull him out. Told him if he was there when I came back, I would. Came back by about 6 hours later... he was gone. Must have got tired waiting...

 

[cqaigy2]

Does it count as bad karma, if you get a kick out of some of these stories.

 

[Mikejeakins]

I've help others out in the past. Most of the people around here help each other out.