ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis woman is living a towing nightmare after her vehicle was hauled away by the Streets Department.
Raven Mayford says her 2004 Durango was seriously damaged during the towing process, but no one at St. Louis City Hall is listening.
Mayford’s vehicle was towed earlier this month. She said it sat on the street. The vehicle had some bumper damage, but Mayford insists it was both operable and properly licensed.
Police had the vehicle towed anyway.
“I went, and I had to pay to get it out, and when they pulled my truck from the back of the tow yard to the front, they damaged it,” Mayford said. “So now, it’s just sitting outside of the city tow waiting for a claim that I don’t know how long it’s going to take. I can’t not work or take care of my kids.”
She believes the tow truck operator hooked her vehicle up incorrectly.
“So, it’s the undercarriage of the truck that’s damaged,” she said. “It’s like more of the frame, so it’s kind of like a serious thing.”
Mayford called the You Paid For It team when she couldn’t get anywhere. FOX 2 went to the tow lot. Our team was told someone from the Streets Department would come and speak with us. However, we received a call from someone in the mayor’s office
“After an investigation, the city denied the claim for the damages because, as noted during the May 15 inspection, the vehicle was already damaged on its front end at the time it was towed,” a spokesperson said.
At present, the vehicle is still sitting in front of the tow lot. Mayford said she’s had personal belongings stolen from the car during that time.
She contacted auto mechanic Chris Felton of St. Charles to take a look at her vehicle.
“Well, in my opinion, simple operator error. It looks like when they hooked up the tow truck or the tow truck hooked up to the vehicle, it literally split the frame or split the bracket on the front,” Felton said. “To be honest with you, any mechanic that looked at it would be able to see as clear as day that it was just hooked up to the wrong spot.”
Mayford is just hoping for a change of heart by the City of St Louis.
“Because I just thought it wasn’t fair, and I was talking to the people, and I felt that I was getting nowhere, and the investigator acts like I’m trying to get over on someone when I’m not in reality,” she said. “I just need to work and take care of my kids, and that’s all I care about.”