A Calgary councilor wants the city to protect drivers from towing companies that “take advantage” of drivers at car accident scenes.

On Nov. 7, County District 4. Peter Demong will table a motion to address “predatory behaviour” by towing companies.

The motion seeks to change bylaws, creating a perimeter around accident sites and introducing fines.

Demong says in the motion that there is a “growing local trend” of towing companies showing up at crash scenes before being called and then charging drivers “ridiculously inflated bills” to get their vehicles out of the parking lot. They are towed.

Carter Duczek, 18, and his father Damen say they recently dealt with this type of situation.

Carter was involved in a crash downtown on August 31. He called the police, but says a tow truck company arrived at the scene within minutes, ahead of officers.

“It was instantaneous,” he said. “They showed up and no one called them. It was very fast when they arrived.”

Duczek says the tow truck driver quickly hooked up his vehicle and assured him his insurance company would cover the cost of the tow.

Despite this, he says he received a quote of nearly $3,000 just a few days later when he went to retrieve his vehicle at the company parking lot.

“I was a little shocked, I was expecting about $500,” he said. “I just trusted them. They came pretty quickly, told me not to worry, made it seem like they were good people, that they would take care of me.”

Damen, Duczek’s father, owns the vehicle and says he was able to negotiate with the company to reduce the amount to $2,100, but feels the charges on the bill didn’t make sense.

He says his insurance company later reimbursed him, but he wonders how these types of towing companies are allowed to operate.

“It was really shady,” he said. “I don’t want it to happen to anyone else. What happened to him shouldn’t happen to anyone else.”

Calgary contracts with City Wide Towing for collisions involving police responses within the City of Calgary. It is not the company that towed Duczek’s vehicle.

Operations Manager Jeff Hribmak says he started seeing these types of cranes on scenes starting this summer, but says he now sees them almost daily.

“What I see and hear about (these companies) is absurd, they are not within the scope of towing practices,” he said. “It’s not illegal, no, but they are taking advantage of motorists in general.”

Hribmak said he recently reviewed the bill of another customer involved with another towing company and said the customer was charged more than double the contracted prices with the city.

“Do your research. Go with a reputable company,” he warned.

In his upcoming notice of motion, Demong is pushing for the city to consider making changes to the Business License Bylaw or creating regulations to prohibit towing companies from stopping within the radius of a collision unless requested by emergency services or the people involved in the collision. the crash.

The motion also calls for fines to deter “poachers”, including increasing amounts for repeat offenders.

Demong’s motion claims that “poachers” are using scanners to capture calls from the Calgary Fire Department (CFD), and that establishing a perimeter will prevent the CFD from having to retrofit the department with encrypted radios, which would cost around of $500,000.

The notice of motion says that when emergency crews ask businesses to leave the scene, they receive verbal abuse and, in some cases, almost physical confrontations.

The Calgary Police Service says CFD informed it of the issue, but no formal complaints have been filed.

“We have been made aware of some cases where excessive towing and storage fees have been charged to members of the public, so we are aware of that happening,” said Deputy Chief Chad Tawfik.

“It’s been brought to our attention relatively recently and it’s been a bigger issue in other jurisdictions, so we’re aware it’s been happening elsewhere.”

Recently, in Edmonton, a unsolicited crane operator He was charged after police said he refused to hand over a vehicle to its owner.

Ontario too Crackdown was taken on the fraudulent crane industry. this summer through a new certification requirement, the first among Canadian provinces.

Ricky Bagga, managing partner at Crash Lawyers, says he has had several clients who have been targeted by towing companies.

He says it’s important for drivers to remember that they have choices when it comes to their vehicle.

“At the end of the day, I tell everyone that they have the right to choose who their towing company is and where they will tow it. They have time to decide whether they want it towed or not. In many cases, “There is no obligation for a person to move your vehicle immediately, unless instructed to do so by CPS,” he said.

Bagga also recommends having a dash cam to record any conflicts.

Police encourage people to report these types of incidents involving tow truck drivers so they can determine if criminal charges may be filed.

• They also offer the following advice to drivers if they feel they are being pressured by a tow truck driver:
• If you are involved in a collision and need a tow, wait for first responders to arrive on the scene before agreeing to have your vehicle towed;
• Law enforcement agencies often have partnerships with towing companies. CPS will facilitate towing in the event of serious injury and fatal collisions;
• For non-injury collisions, people can choose the towing company of their choice if they do not wish to use a CPS partner agency; and,
• Legitimate towing companies will not use high-pressure or fear-based tactics, and they will not charge exorbitant prices or additional fees on top of the cost of the tow.