'I still don't know why,' cries driver whose car was towed from parking space he paid for

DAYS after paying rent, a driver returned to his apartment's parking lot only to find his car had been towed away.

A 1991 Honda Civic sedan was taken from the apartment complex and racked up hundreds of dollars in parking fines - the owner believed he did nothing wrong.

A driver complained in 2015 after their car was towedCredit: Youtube/ KOIN 6They 'still [didn't] know' why the vehicle was taken from the apartment (stock image)Credit: Alamy

"I was furious," the driver, Eric Clark, told Portland, Oregon-based CBS affiliate KOIN6 in 2015.

"My wife was here with me, and she went into almost a nervous breakdown."

Clark had notified his apartment's management that he was moving out of his building.

Having paid his last rent installment, which included parking space fees, he anticipated smooth sailing with the building's management.

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However, the towed car complicated his move-out strategy.

"Everything is paid up," Clark said at the time.

"I'm still a tenant until [the end of the month], as far as I understand."

The building's manager also said he didn't understand why Clark's car was towed.

"I knew about it after the fact," the building manager told the television station.

Clark alleged the towing may resulted from a previous disagreement between the building's owner and his preteen son.

Moment neighbour takes revenge on driver parking car in their space for three years - after they ignored key sign

The owner and child had a disagreement about bike storage on the property, Clark claimed.

"It's just a shame, man," Clark said.

"Why? I still don't know."

The tow company said the Honda had racked up $700 in parking fees after it was towed.

Clark said he didn't have the cash to pay the fee.

However, local lawyers said Clark had to pay the money.

Are you covered by law to park on a public street?

Parking on a public street is generally legal, even in front of someone's house, experts say.

Unless the home is in an HOA subdivision, a apartment complex with assigned spaces, or there are posted laws against parking during certain days or hours, it is not illegal to park a vehicle in front of someone's home on a public street.

"Generally speaking, an individual citizen does not 'own' or have any ongoing exclusive right to use a parking space on a public street," wrote Nolo Legal.

"These spaces are open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis."

Most states do have rules against vehicles being parked in the same spot for 72 hours, or blocking fire hydrants, driveways, and sidewalks, as a parked vehicle in those spaces presents a safety hazard.

Lawyers told the station Clark should pay the fees before filing a case in small claims court.

TOW TROUBLES

Several other drivers have claimed their car was towed away despite road laws protecting their vehicles.

In 2022, Colorado State Senator Julie Gonzales said her vehicle was towed illegally.

The company who took her vehicle didn't offer payment plans - a key tenet of a bill Gonzales had recently passed to protect consumers.

Another couple said a Chicago-based towing company had illegally taken their car while the driver was on a long-term vacation.

The car had stayed in its legal parking space for so long, it could be seen on Google Earth when looking up the owner's address.

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