I was hit with a $105 speeding ticket while my car was on back of tow truck

A DRIVER was shocked to find a $105 speeding ticket in her mailbox after her van broke down.

The city sent the woman photographic evidence for the speeding ticket - her defunct car, sitting on a tow truck, was still charged for an infraction when she wasn't behind the wheel.

A driver said she received a speeding ticket while her van was towedCredit: NEWS 5 CLEVELANDThe van broke down on the side of the road (stock image)Credit: Alamy

"What are they doing?" Joann Gibson, the van owner, told Cleveland, Ohio ABC affiliate WEWS-TV.

"I’m at the center getting this ticket and my car is on a flat bed, I’m not driving that truck."

Gibson said the van broke down on the side of the road on December 20.

She told the television network she was visiting her daycare center when the traffic violation occurred.

"I shouldn’t be getting nothing like this," she said.

"They should be giving the tow truck driver a ticket or the people that own the towing company."

Gibson contested the fine at the East Cleveland Police Department, but she said officials told her to refute the fine with the private company that operates the cameras.

She worries that she will have to pay more on car insurance because of the legal record.

"Went into the police station, pushing buttons, ringing the bell to find some help," she said.

"I don’t want anything on my driver's license, so far I have a good record, and I’m going to try and keep it that way."

'I still don't know why,' cries driver whose car was towed from parking space he paid for - he racked up $700 fines

Twon Billings, the East Cleveland Council President, told the station he was fighting for Gibson's ticket to get expunged.

"The vehicle was on a tow truck," Billings told the station.

"How many people did not see that before they sent it to her address? I feel like it’s more of a money grab than it is a deterrent."

Billings said he wanted the camera to be removed.

What to do if your car is towed

Wrongfully or not, retrieving a towed vehicle can be a hassle.

If your vehicle is towed after parking in a "No Parking" zone or other legitimate reason, there are a few steps to take to get it back.

Steps to take when your car is towed:

Try to figure out why your car was towed. Did you not see a posted "No Parking" sign? Did you miss a car payment? Did you return to a lot where you have unpaid citations? Finding the reason can narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some form of contact information via a posted sign or sent by mail.
Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but those times will be posted to the website or can be recited by a representative.
Pay the fees. Be careful to be as prompt as possible, as some tow yards may charge storage fees by the day.

If you feel your vehicle was wrongfully towed, contesting the action can be done with the following steps:

Be prompt - many states have a small window of time where it's acceptable to file a complaint against a company that wrongfully towed the vehicle.
Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
Get familiar with your local laws, as laws for towing companies vary per state.
Try speaking with the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight, and the matter can be resolved quickly.
Contact the Justice of the Peace in your area, as they may have more insight or resources to help. They are often utilized for towing cases.
Talk to a lawyer. Many lawyers have free case consultations, and depending on the case, it may be worth it to utilize a lawyer.

Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak Law Firm

He said the camera was mounted in an economically disadvantaged community.

City councilors had recently voted to remove the camera from the street - but it was still assigning tickets to drivers.

"I would like to see it removed, I mean the law was already passed, that council voted for this camera to be removed," Billings said.

Meanwhile, Gibson is urging drivers to look deeper into their speeding tickets and fight back.

"I'm kind of angry about it, when I get kind of angry I want to find out what’s really going on, and I think other people should come forward and don’t pay them," Gibson said.

"That’s not right, they’re going to try and charge me some money, well then what are you going to do with that money when you look at the ticket and see it’s not right."

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