Accident Recovery & Winching

When Your Vehicle Ends Up Where It Should Not Be

Accidents and weather can put your vehicle in tough spots. Maybe you slid off an icy road into a ditch during an Iowa winter storm. Perhaps you misjudged a turn on a gravel road and ended up stuck in a field. Or your car got stuck in deep snow in a parking lot and spinning the wheels only made it worse.

Our Ankeny accident recovery and winching service handles situations where standard towing will not work. We use heavy-duty winches, chains, and recovery straps to pull vehicles out of ditches, up embankments, through mud, and out of any other difficult position safely without causing more damage.

Situations That Need Winching and Recovery

Recovery work requires different equipment and skills than regular towing. Here are common situations we handle:

• Vehicles stuck in ditches after sliding off roads in rain, snow, or ice
• Cars stuck in mud or soft ground where tires just spin without moving forward
• Vehicles down embankments that need careful extraction to prevent rolling
• Accident scenes where damaged cars need pulling away from guardrails or other vehicles
• Parking lot recoveries from snowbanks, landscaping, or tight spaces
• Off-road situations where vehicles went too far and got stuck

After we extract your vehicle, we can transport it using our flatbed towing service to a repair shop, body shop, or your home. For less serious situations that just need a quick pull, we can get you back on the road right there.

How We Safely Extract Your Vehicle

Recovery work must be done carefully to avoid making damage worse. We start by assessing the situation when we arrive. Where is your vehicle positioned? What angle is it sitting at? Is it stable or could it slide further? What obstacles are in the way? These questions help us plan the safest extraction method.

We position our truck at the best angle for pulling, then attach our winch cable or recovery strap to strong points on your vehicle like frame rails or tow hooks. We never attach to bumpers, which can rip off under pulling force. Once everything is connected properly, we use our powered winch to pull steadily and slowly, controlling the entire process to prevent sudden movements.

For vehicles at steep angles or in precarious positions, we might use additional equipment like wheel dollies or multiple anchor points. Sometimes we need to pull in stages, repositioning between each pull to change the angle safely. The whole process might take 20 minutes or over an hour depending on how stuck your vehicle is and what terrain we are working with.

Why Professional Recovery Matters

Trying to pull out a stuck vehicle with another car or truck often makes things worse. Chains can snap and cause injuries. Improper attachment points can rip off body panels or bend frames. Pulling at the wrong angle can flip a vehicle or send it sliding into a worse position.

Our team has training and experience in proper recovery techniques. We understand weight distribution, pulling angles, and safe winch operation. We carry rated recovery gear that can handle the forces involved without breaking. Most importantly, we know when a situation is too dangerous and needs additional equipment or specialized help. For immediate response to accident situations, we also provide emergency towing services throughout the Ankeny area.

Recovery and Winching Questions Answered