A few weeks after Eaton Fire destroyed her home and everything she owned, an Altadena woman received the bill for towing her burnt car.
The car moved to clear emergency access, and Altadena resident Lisab Launsteingafney had the bill put in front of it for that.
“I’m angry. I’m sad. I miss my life, my home. I miss the community,” Gaffney said. “Some of the things we had were incredibly valuable, but the ones that are not worth it are like a gut punch.”
But now, in addition to the task of reconstruction, she is dealing with new, unexpected financial burdens.
“Finally our emails started to be forwarded to the PO box. I got this bill. The car is towed and we’ll charge you $587 for two and $71 for storage. We’ll have to deal with that,” Gaffney said.
A few days before she received the bill, Gaffney reported the 1998 Toyota Camry to the insurance company, and they took over the car.
“I reached out to the AAA but the guy I was dealing with is no longer there, so what should I do? It’s not my car. What should I do? Would I go and pick up the car with Dolly? Gaffney said.
Believing she was a victim of a towing scam, Gaffney immediately contacted police and told her that the California Highway Patrol had towed the vehicle to allow utility workers to access the road.
The California Highway Patrol was authorized to do the job, according to LA County supervisor Kathryn Berger.
Gaffney’s insurance stepped in to cover the costs.
“It’s ridiculous that such punitive things happen at such a horrible time,” Gaffney said. “The people on the outside don’t know what we’re going through. We all need grace and we’re really trying our best, so people need to be kind to us.”
Supervisor Berger’s office urges people in similar circumstances to apply to the LA County Relief Fund for financial assistance related to the fire. The application will close March 12th.
For more information on how to apply, please see here.
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