Cars got stuck in several places around Prince Albert during the downpour on Sunday, June 25. (Rob Mahon/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Tow Trucks Swamped

P.A. towing company flooded with calls after massive rainfall

Jun 26, 2023 | 11:14 AM

A sudden afternoon downpour, complete with driving winds and heavy hail, left several Prince Albert streets and parking lots flooded on Sunday, and left numerous cars stuck dead. That made for a busy afternoon and more for local tow truck operators.

Cars were floundering within minutes of the rain starting, which meant calls to tow trucks came nearly as fast as the rain all afternoon long.

“The afternoon was crazy, our phone was ringing non-stop,” said Danny Goodwin, owner and operator of Gateway North Towing. “The problem with a lot of it was you really needed the water to recede a little bit to get some of the vehicles.”

Water wouldn’t recede for some time, however, and just because the temperature had been around 30 C when the storm began didn’t mean that water was warm.

“The water was ice cold from the hail,” Goodwin said. “You were numb. If you didn’t have hip waders on or rain pants, you were numb from the cold. The water was unbelievably cold, I couldn’t believe it myself. There’s nothing like trying to back up to a vehicle that’s three feet under water and you can’t see anything. You’re trying to mull around and hook up, and you’re totally blind.”

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That meant a lot of vehicles had to be left where they were. If you were driving around the city, you likely saw some of them on streets and in parking lots. Tow trucks were just getting to some of them this morning.

“We’ve already been towing since about 7:30 this morning,” Goodwin said. “All the vehicles that are either still stuck somewhere or made it back to the resident’s house and are now just inoperable. There will be a lot of SGI claims today, I’m sure.”

South Hill Mall saw some vehicles bog down in the water, but according to Goodwin, the worst of the flooding came in the area of 15^th Street East, not far from Cornerstone. He also said it wasn’t the first time that area has been a source of trouble.

“I don’t know what it is with 15^th Street, that area in front of SGI right there,” he said. “We can go back to when I was towing for the PA Auto Wreckers 10, 12 years ago. That place, I don’t know what it is, the water just does not drain there at all. I don’t know if the city needs to put in another drain, I don’t know what the answer is, but that is the biggest problem in a downpour.”

Goodwin had some advice for drivers if they’re faced with rising water: don’t floor the gas pedal. As tempting as it might be to power through the water, you’re far better off easing through it.

“You’re on pavement underneath the water, you’re not going to get stuck,” he said. “What happens when you start pushing the gas and pushing a wave, and meet another vehicle doing the exact same thing, that wave comes over the hood of your car, the engine sucks in the water and it hydrovacs the engine, and that’s it for your engine.”

Goodwin added he understands the impulse and he knows people can panic, but he can push his tow truck through three feet of water as long as he idles through it slowly enough not to make waves.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP