CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Some drivers across the metro Atlanta area who left their cars abandoned on iced-over roads following the arctic blast discovered when they went back to drive them home, their cars were gone.
Drivers like Clayton County resident, Teia Gamez says she was on her way home from work Tuesday when she could not make it up McDonough Road due to black ice.
“I sat in the car for a while really trying to make it up this hill until I got to the point of you know I have to be one of those people that has to abandon my car to go home,” Gamez explained.
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Gamez says she could not retrieve her vehicle until Thursday, when she discovered it had been towed, “They told me over the phone that it would be $688.”
Other Clayton County residents like Erica Felder and her husband, say they cannot afford to pay their more than $600 tow fee after they had to abandon their vehicle on Trimmel Road on their way home from work.
“We’ve got to get milk, the food, groceries and now we just have to walk because we don’t have transportation and it’s hard,” Felder explained.
The Clayton County Police Department said that they are responsible for ensuring the safe and efficient removal of any vehicle blocking roadways, particularly during hazardous conditions such as icy roads.
A spokesperson with the department shared that all fees and practices associated with the operations of the towing companies they contacted to remove the vehicles are under their independent control.
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Other agencies like the Hall County Sheriff’s office said they had to tow 31 vehicles that were left. A spokesperson sharing this statement:
“Even though some of those vehicles had been moved partially to the shoulder of the roadways, all were in the right-of-way. Emergency vehicles were unable to adequately access the roads to make them safe for travel.
Any peace officer who finds a motor vehicle which has been left unattended on a highway, and which poses an immediate threat to public health or safety, or traffic congestion may cause such motor vehicle to be removed to a garage or other place of safety, GA Code § 40-6-206 (2023) states.
In events such as the one that occurred on Tuesday, drivers should not abandon their vehicles on the right-of-way. Instead, they should contact law enforcement by phone, just like they would do if they were involved in a traffic accident. A note on a windshield is not considered proper notification.”
Gwinnett County Police say they also had to remove some vehicles from the roadway, adding that they had officers checking on roadways where vehicles were left in the hours after the storm in hopes that they would be picked up.
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“The police department obviously has a responsibility to keep people safe and in case there is an ambulance or any other first responders that need to get through – they have to be opened up,” shared Sgt. Ryan Collins.
Sgt. Collins also shared that if people ever find themselves stuck in the roadways and they need assistance moving the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway, they can call the department’s non-emergency line.
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