For some stranded motorists, snow tires and four-wheel drive could only get them so far. They were among those who turned to tow trucks to do the heavy lifting as the region continued to dig out from Tuesday’s powerful nor’easter.
Tow trucks were out in force during the storm, plucking cars off the side of roads and out of snowbanks, and the effort continued into Wednesday.
“There wasn’t enough tows to go around,” said Scott Cassidy as he anchored an abandoned minivan blocking access to a tenant parking lot on Concord Street in Concord to his truck. “We were getting calls all over the place – mostly local, but we were getting calls from Amherst.”
Cassidy, who works for John’s Wrecker Services in Concord, said he worked a 12-hour shift on Tuesday rescuing cars from the effects of the storm, which dumped a foot and a half of snow in some areas of the state.
That snow led to some close calls for a pro like Cassidy, who said there were times he thought he might need rescuing himself. At one point, he said, a car he was towing on Clement Hill Road in Hopkinton broke loose from his truck and both vehicles started sliding down the hill.
“I’ve been doing this for 16 years, and I’ve never been scared for my truck,” he said.
On Wednesday, Cassidy found himself playing a different role: towing vehicles left behind by their owners. In addition to the Concord Street call, he had been dispatched to apartment complexes and the Target parking lot to move vehicles. At work by 7:30 a.m., Cassidy said he had gone out on seven calls by 1 p.m., and he anticipated he would work another 12-hour shift. Four of his calls, however, ended with no tow, as vehicle owners heard him coming and moved their cars.
Other towing services said the brunt of their work had occurred the day of the storm. Brandon Callison, owner of BRC Towing, said Tuesday was “extremely” busy, with vehicles needing a pull from unplowed driveways and parking lots. Wednesday, however, saw only two calls to downtown Concord to remove vehicles.
“Everyone seems to have done what they were supposed to have done,” Callison said. “It’s a little unusual, but every storm is different.”
Callison said the lack of next-day removals had to do with the timing of the storm. He said when snow continues past the evening commute, people do not tend to park on the street; however, if the snow stops before late afternoon, it gives people a false sense of security. “They think it’s safe to park if the roads are cleared,” Callison said.
Towing manager for Matt Brown’s Truck Repair Jon Army said the day after a snowstorm is usually busier than the day of. While he had received a decent number of calls on Tuesday and Wednesday, he said, many people heeded warnings and avoided going out into the storm at all.
“I think a lot of people pre-planned,” he said. “People stayed home, and a fair amount of companies shut down.”
Weather elements seemed to cause the biggest problems across the state, according to NHDOT spokesman Bill Boynton. He said there were no reports of difficulties removing snow due to traffic incidents, but several roads in the Lakes Region and Seacoast area remain closed due to fallen trees and downed power lines. He said the power lines are particularly tricky, because snow cannot be removed until the power company addresses them.
(Caitlin Andrews can be reached at 369-3309, candrews@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @ActualCAndrews.)