Impound Lot Stole Things from and Damaged My Car, What Can I Do

My question involves a traffic citation from the state of: Texas

My car got impounded while I was asleep for partially blocking a driveway, so there was no inventory taken and no reason to go through my car whatsoever.
It was in the impound lot for only a day and a half, and when I went to go get it, as I was driving off the lot, I noticed that a few items were missing.
My huge change jar that i had in the backseat that had approximately $100 in change in it, my w-2 and my insurance card were gone as well as an envelope in the glove compartment that had my rent money($400) in it. Some of my jewelry was also taken(probably around $200 worth).
I also tried to roll my window down and it made the noise as if it was trying, but the glass was taken off the track so it wouldn't budge, and before it got towed I know it worked because I had rolled it down on my way to my house the night that it got towed. My bumper(which I got painted the week before) was scratched up and cracked, and now my alignment is also way off.

I went back inside to see what they had to say and all they did was point to the sign that said "not responsible for damaged or stolen items"
So now I really just want my money and jewelry back, I don't even care about the damages to my car.

Is there anything I could possibly do?

What proof do you have of anything you say?

you would have a better chance at getting paid for the damages. Proving the items you claim were in the vehicle will be nearly impossible to prove.

Years ago, people in the repo industry would joke about the "golden glovebox" - the valuable items that people claimed were in their glove compartment, then somehow 'disappeared' when the car was impounded. Here we have... cash and jewelry, perhaps the most valuable assets you own, and you're claiming you left them in your illegally parked car. Although they probably have a different name for it by now, to put it mildly, your claim will inspire skepticism.

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Quoting Mr. Knowitall

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Years ago, people in the repo industry would joke about the "golden glovebox" - the valuable items that people claimed were in their glove compartment, then somehow 'disappeared' when the car was impounded. Here we have... cash and jewelry, perhaps the most valuable assets you own, and you're claiming you left them in your illegally parked car. Although they probably have a different name for it by now, to put it mildly, your claim will inspire skepticism.

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Ding Ding Ding. This guy got the right answerr

Theres no way a judge or anyone for that will believe that you left that in your illegally parked vehicle. The judge will say if you were concerned for the items in your vehicle you would have not parked illegally, let alone leave not one, but several valuables in your vehicle. First off visible jar of change in backseat. and then $400 in your glove compartment ? Most obvious thing is, the judge will say is don't you know to not leave any valuables in plain sight in a parked vehicle.

Not trying to be rude, but the judge and the towing company rep will say exact same things. I know this because ive been through this many times in court judge says same thing each and everytime.

Your alignment was way off before your vehicle was impounded. There isn't anyway a tow truck could do any damage to your vehicles alignment.

Your bumper was scratched before your vehicle was towed. In today's market, they don't use sling wreckers that hook a vehicle from a bumper, they use rollbacks and wheellift wreckers. Nether of the two come into contact with anything on a vehicle besides the wheels of the vehicle.

Just for shits and giggles, do you know if your vehicle was towed from a rollback or a wrecker?

The money, jewelry and other valuables get brought up every time that someone try's to scam a tow company. None of the scam artist get reimbursed.

The window. There is a slight chance that the window could have been damaged from the operator of the tow truck if he needed to gain entry to the vehicle. Sometimes linkage to a window could get knocked off when trying to gain entry with window tools that get stuck or an inexperienced operator tries to gain entry.

If you brought the window, and only the window to the tow company's attention, I would bet $100 that the tow company would look into the situation and fix the window if they thought that the window was damaged by a lockout tool. But being that you brought up all the other nonsense, I'll bet you $100 that your on your own...

Actually, I bet it would considered collateral damage, caused by the need to access the car for removal.

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Quoting sssonora

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Is there anything I could possibly do?

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Yes.

Take a 2 x 4 and hit yourself in the head repeatedly until it dawns on you that you NEVER leave valuables in your unattended vehicle.

Beyond that, you are welcome to file a police report and then a lawsuit against the towing company and see how far you get.

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Who'sThatGuy;723084]Your alignment was way off before your vehicle was impounded. There isn't anyway a tow truck could do any damage to your vehicles alignment.

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well...

any tow vehicle that still uses the old sling with hooks and chains is quite capable of damaging the steering components. I have seen tow drivers blindly reach under a car and hook anything they can. If that happens to be a tie rod, then the steering will be affected.

Yes, there are still some of those out there

but even with the newer lift style, they are capable of damaging steering components. It must be intentional or through real ignorance of how to properly operate a tow truck but it can be done.

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Your bumper was scratched before your vehicle was towed. In today's market, they don't use sling wreckers that hook a vehicle from a bumper, they use rollbacks and wheellift wreckers. Nether of the two come into contact with anything on a vehicle besides the wheels of the vehicle.

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but if the car was lifted from the other end, dips in the road (such as what you experience when crossing a street) can cause the trailing end of the vehicle to be scraped on the road. A very common place to experience such a situation is when first pulling onto a road from a parking lot. The dipped edge of a road commonly causes damage to the trailing end of a vehicle, if not towed properly and with concern for such issues.

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Just for shits and giggles, do you know if your vehicle was towed from a rollback or a wrecker?

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if you want to talk about a roll back;

I saw a front air damn ripped off a vehicle using a roll back flat bed. It results in the same position as I described previously when towing a car across a road or onto a road from parking lots.

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The window. There is a slight chance that the window could have been damaged from the operator of the tow truck if he needed to gain entry to the vehicle. Sometimes linkage to a window could get knocked off when trying to gain entry with window tools that get stuck or an inexperienced operator tries to gain entry.

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there is almost no need to enter a vehicle to tow it, if the tow operator has the proper equipment.


all of the damage noted can be done while towing a vehicle. It is generally the result of a lazy, untrained, or ill equipped operator but sadly to say, that describes the greater share of tow operators out there.

None of which OP can apparently prove. Consistent with the rest of the case.

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Quoting jk

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well...

any tow vehicle that still uses the old sling with hooks and chains is quite capable of damaging the steering components. I have seen tow drivers blindly reach under a car and hook anything they can. If that happens to be a tie rod, then the steering will be affected.

Yes, there are still some of those out there

but even with the newer lift style, they are capable of damaging steering components. It must be intentional or through real ignorance of how to properly operate a tow truck but it can be done.


but if the car was lifted from the other end, dips in the road (such as what you experience when crossing a street) can cause the trailing end of the vehicle to be scraped on the road. A very common place to experience such a situation is when first pulling onto a road from a parking lot. The dipped edge of a road commonly causes damage to the trailing end of a vehicle, if not towed properly and with concern for such issues.

if you want to talk about a roll back;

I saw a front air damn ripped off a vehicle using a roll back flat bed. It results in the same position as I described previously when towing a car across a road or onto a road from parking lots.



there is almost no need to enter a vehicle to tow it, if the tow operator has the proper equipment.


all of the damage noted can be done while towing a vehicle. It is generally the result of a lazy, untrained, or ill equipped operator but sadly to say, that describes the greater share of tow operators out there.

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Quoting jk

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well...

any tow vehicle that still uses the old sling with hooks and chains is quite capable of damaging the steering components. I have seen tow drivers blindly reach under a car and hook anything they can. If that happens to be a tie rod, then the steering will be affected.

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Well, I'm talking about today's technology, not something from the 80's. Typically in a contract for towing with a police department, updated equipment is mandatory. If you have older equipment, you don't get a contract to tow for the police department.

I have seen operators blindly hook vehicles also, and when they grab a tie-rod, the tie-rod snaps rendering the vehicle useless until it's fixed. When an operator places the J-Hook onto the A-Frame of the vehicle, no damage will occur.

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Quoting jk

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Yes, there are still some of those out there

but even with the newer lift style, they are capable of damaging steering components. It must be intentional or through real ignorance of how to properly operate a tow truck but it can be done.


but if the car was lifted from the other end, dips in the road (such as what you experience when crossing a street) can cause the trailing end of the vehicle to be scraped on the road. A very common place to experience such a situation is when first pulling onto a road from a parking lot. The dipped edge of a road commonly causes damage to the trailing end of a vehicle, if not towed properly and with concern for such issues.

if you want to talk about a roll back;

I saw a front air damn ripped off a vehicle using a roll back flat bed. It results in the same position as I described previously when towing a car across a road or onto a road from parking lots.

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The OP is talking about a bumper cover, not a lower valance. I'll admit, I was hit in the rear and had my rear bumper repaired and within one week I pulled out of a parking lot and the very lower back of my bumper cover was scraped because the city was milling the road which left the road surface about three inches below what it should have been. You couldn't tell the cover was scraped unless you stood 6' behind my car and squatted down. So the OP can't claim anything without the OP physically being a witness to the operator damaging the bumper cover.

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Quoting jk

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there is almost no need to enter a vehicle to tow it, if the tow operator has the proper equipment.


all of the damage noted can be done while towing a vehicle. It is generally the result of a lazy, untrained, or ill equipped operator but sadly to say, that describes the greater share of tow operators out there.

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I can name a few reasons to enter a locked vehicle when preparing that vehicle for transport.

1. Police inventory.
2. Check/release emergency break.
3. Check to make sure the steering wheel is in the locked position.
4. Tie down the steering wheel in the event the vehicle needs to be lifted from the rear.
5. Open the hood to disconnect linkage in order to place transmission in neutral.

On newer model vehicles with push button start, the steering wheel doesn't lock, so these vehicles must be unlocked before transporting if the vehicle is a rear-wheel drive.

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Quoting Mr. Knowitall

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Years ago, people in the repo industry would joke about the "golden glovebox" - the valuable items that people claimed were in their glove compartment, then somehow 'disappeared' when the car was impounded. Here we have... cash and jewelry, perhaps the most valuable assets you own, and you're claiming you left them in your illegally parked car. Although they probably have a different name for it by now, to put it mildly, your claim will inspire skepticism.

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Lolol! You hit the nail right on the head! Civil forfeiture??