I got a call from a client named Jerry. First question I asked him: Jerry, where's your car?
He didn't know. So we called his insurance company. They didn't know. We called the other driver's insurance company. They didn't know either. It took us a couple of weeks to track that car down, and in the time between the crash and when Jerry called us, he had run up thousands of dollars in storage.
Nobody did anything wrong on purpose. Everybody just assumed somebody else had it.
That is the most common expensive mistake I see after a crash, and it has nothing to do with who caused the accident.
The insurance company is not responsible for your car. You are.
Usually after a crash the insurance companies take care of the tow and the storage. But not always, and more often than you would think, something goes wrong:
- There is a dispute over who was at fault, so neither company will commit.
- The two companies are confused about which one is paying.
- The adjuster gets busy and forgets.
While that plays out, your car sits in the yard and the meter runs.
Here is the rule I give every client: unless an insurance company tells you in writing that it is taking care of the tow and the storage, assume it is not. A phone call where the adjuster says "we'll handle it" is not writing. An email or a text is.
What a Utah tow yard can actually charge
Utah does not let a tow yard name its own price on a non-consent tow. The Utah Department of Transportation sets maximum rates under Utah Code § 72-9-603 and Utah Administrative Code R909-19. For 2026, on a light-duty vehicle (a car, SUV or most pickups, 10,000 lbs gross vehicle weight rating or less):
- Tow truck service: up to $211 an hour
- Outside storage: up to $42 a day
- Inside storage: up to $47 a day
- Administrative fee: up to $44
Those are ceilings, not targets. Put the bill next to the schedule, line by line.
One detail matters more than people realise. Duty class is set by the gross vehicle weight rating on the door-jamb sticker, not by how big the truck looks. A one-ton pickup sits right on the line, and the jump to medium duty is a lot more per hour and per day. Check the sticker.
The report that can wipe out the fees
When a car is removed without the owner's consent, as when police order it towed from a crash, Utah Code § 41-6a-1406 requires the tow operator to report the removal to the Motor Vehicle Division before noon on the next business day. Until that report is filed, the yard may not collect the fees associated with the removal and may not begin charging storage.
So ask for proof the report was filed, and when. Every day before that timestamp is a day the yard cannot charge you for.
A police impound is a different, faster problem
If police impounded the car rather than towing it from the scene for you, there is a second clock, and it is the one that actually loses the car. On an impound the vehicle's model year matters. For an older vehicle, if nobody redeems it, the law lets the division issue the title straight to the tow carrier after a short notice period. No auction. No money back to you.
On an older car worth a few thousand dollars, storage can outrun the value in a couple of months. If your car was impounded, call us the same day you find out.
What your belongings are worth to the yard
The yard's fees are a lien on the car and on non-essential property inside it that belongs to the vehicle's owner. That means tools and general belongings can be held.
Life-essential items are different. Prescription medication, medical equipment, child safety seats, government ID, essential clothing, food and water must be released to you during business hours, free. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.
Stop the bleeding
If neither insurance company will put in writing that it is paying, do this:
- Find the car. Get the yard's name, address and the running total.
- Ask both adjusters, in writing, whether they are covering tow and storage. Give them a day to answer.
- If nobody commits, get the car out. You already owe for the tow and a few days. Pay it, keep every receipt, and move the car somewhere that does not charge by the day.
- Keep working on making the other side pay. The fees you paid are part of your damages. The at-fault driver owes them.
Letting it sit while you argue is the one move that never works. Insurance companies call that a failure to mitigate, and they will use it to refuse every day of storage they decide you could have avoided.
Write it all down
Keep a crash diary. Every call: date, time, who you talked to, what they said. When an adjuster later claims nobody told them the car was accruing storage, your notes are the answer.
The injury claim runs next to all of this
If you were hurt, the tow yard is only the first fight. LawyerUp handles the vehicle side of the claim alongside the injury claim, so one team is watching the storage bill, the repair or total loss, and your medical treatment at the same time.
- Personal injury — four years. Utah Code § 78B-2-307.
- Vehicle property damage — three years. § 78B-2-305, covering the tow, storage, repair, total loss and diminished value.
Storage does not wait for either deadline. It runs tonight.
Call (801) 685-1000. Stay with it. You can do this.