“They Towed a Disabled Veteran’s Car — Federal Law Said They Shouldn’t”🇺🇸
The towing industry often operates like a state-sanctioned predatory animal, lurking in the shadows of “administrative guidelines” to snatch property from the vulnerable. In this case, we see a private company attempting to hide behind a “temporary restriction” to justify the blatant theft of a disabled veteran’s mobility. The defense—that they acted “without knowledge” of his disability status—is a transparent lie, given that a permanent placard was displayed right on the dashboard. It’s a classic case of corporate negligence masquerading as procedural compliance.
For a veteran with a spinal injury, a vehicle isn’t a luxury; it’s a lifeline. By towing that car, the company didn’t just move a piece of metal; they effectively stranded a man and denied him access to medical care. The sheer lack of effort to verify the placard suggests a “tow first, ask questions never” policy, which is the hallmark of an industry that views every parked car as a $600 payday rather than a person’s property.
The company’s argument that the tow was “not discriminatory” is a pathetic attempt to sidestep the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA doesn’t care if you felt like being discriminatory; it mandates reasonable accommodation. Ignoring a visible disability placard to meet a “street maintenance” quota is a direct violation of federal law. They saw a veteran’s rights as an inconvenient obstacle to their towing schedule, and they chose to bulldoze over them.
The court’s decision to find the company liable is a victory for basic human decency. By ordering damages beyond the mere refund of the towing fee, the judge sent a necessary message: you cannot ignore federal law and then claim ignorance as a defense. The $600 recovery fee was just the tip of the iceberg of the stress and physical toll this incident took on a man who already sacrificed his health for his country.
This case serves as a scathing reminder that “following guidelines” is no excuse for a total lack of common sense and legal compliance. The towing company wasn’t performing a city service; they were committing a civil rights violation for profit. Hopefully, the weight of these damages will force them to actually look at a dashboard before they hook up a chain.
