Right after a crash in Toledo
- Check for injuries. Call 911 if anyone is hurt, if there is smoke, fire or leaking fuel, or if a vehicle blocks traffic.
- If you can’t get clear of traffic safely, stay in the car with your seat belt on and the hazards flashing.
- Stop and stay. Ohio law requires every driver in a crash on a public road to stop and remain until they have given their name and address, the owner’s name and address, and the vehicle registration number. If an injured person can’t take that information, notify the nearest police agency and wait for an officer (ORC 4549.02).
- In a parking lot or on other private property, exchange the same information when asked. If you couldn’t, report it to city police, or the county sheriff outside a city or village, within 24 hours (ORC 4549.021).
- If you hit a fence, sign or other property next to the road, stop and tell the owner. If you can’t find them, report it to police or the sheriff within 24 hours (ORC 4549.03).
- Photograph the vehicles, plates and damage from somewhere safe, and ask the officer for the crash report number.
The after-a-crash guide has a fuller checklist for the hours and days afterward.
When police decide who tows
At a crash scene, the officer in charge may make the towing decision for you.
- Blocking the road: after a crash, a sheriff, police chief, Highway Patrol trooper or fire chief, or someone acting for them, may remove, or order removed, an unoccupied vehicle, cargo or debris that blocks the roadway or endangers safety. That needs the investigating agency’s approval but not the owner’s consent (ORC 4513.66).
- City impound: if Toledo police send the car to the City of Toledo impound lot, the department lists a $160 tow fee and $20 a day in storage for cars and trucks, and links a towed-vehicle search (Toledo Police). The towed car guide explains how to get it back.
- Ohio Turnpike: a disabled passenger car is towed off only by a Turnpike contract garage (OAC 5537-3-01). Dial #677.
If police aren’t ordering the tow and you’re not on the Turnpike, you can usually ask for the company you prefer. That is general practice rather than a right written into Ohio law, and officers may call another wrecker when a vehicle has to be cleared quickly.
Call for towing help(419) 329-4502What accident recovery involves
Recovery is the work of getting a damaged vehicle from where it ended up onto a truck, and leaving the road clear. What it takes depends on the damage:
| After the crash | What the recovery usually takes |
|---|---|
| Car rolls and steers, damage is mostly cosmetic | A standard tow; a wheel-lift may be enough for a front-wheel-drive car |
| Bent wheel, broken suspension or a wheel that won’t turn | A flatbed, with the car winched onto the deck; dollies may be needed to move it first |
| Car off the pavement: in a ditch, the median or against a pole | Winching it back onto solid ground before loading (a winch-out) |
| Glass, plastic and fluid in the lane | Sweeping up debris before the truck leaves |
| All-wheel-drive or electric car | A flatbed, with all four wheels off the ground |
| Box truck, bus or semi | A heavy-duty wrecker |
On covered Toledo interstates, ODOT’s Freeway Safety Patrol also clears debris at crash scenes on weekdays, and for large commercial vehicles blocking lanes on designated routes, ODOT pays incentives to prequalified heavy-duty towing companies to clear them quickly (ODOT TRIP). For an ordinary passenger car, tell the dispatcher which wheels are damaged, whether fluid is leaking and whether the airbags went off, so the right truck comes.
Getting your crash report
Police agencies that investigate a crash involving an injury, a death, or more than $1,000 in property damage must send a written report to the state within 5 days (ORC 5502.11). That form is commonly called the OH-1.
- Online: the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Crash Retrieval portal lets you search by crash or document number, or by date range and county or agency. The Toledo Police website links to it from its “Get a copy of an Accident Report” menu item.
- Highway Patrol crashes: the OSHP Help Center has a “Request a Report” option.
Insurance basics in Ohio
- Ohio’s minimum liability coverage is $25,000 for injury or death of one person, $50,000 for two or more people, and $25,000 for property damage per crash (ORC 4509.51).
- You can be asked for proof of insurance at a crash scene (Ohio BMV).
- If you believe the other driver was uninsured, anyone involved may file a BMV report saying so within 6 months (ORC 4509.06).
- Ask your insurer whether towing and storage are covered, and keep every itemized receipt. The tow cost guide explains how charges are built.
What to have ready when you call
- The exact location, such as “eastbound I-280 just past exit 7 in Oregon” or a street intersection.
- Whether police are on scene, which agency, and whether the officer is ordering the tow.
- What you can see of the damage: wheels that won’t turn, leaks, airbags, a car that is off the road.
- Where the car should go: your shop, a dealer, home, or a lot while the insurer decides. Ask the daily storage rate if it will sit anywhere.
- Your insurance claim number, if you have one, and how many people need a ride.
Take your registration, garage opener and personal items out before the car leaves. Then call (419) 329-4502 or send a request.