Family outraged after woman killed by tow truck during car repossession

 

The case of a woman who officials say was fatally dragged by a tow truck repossessing her car in Chino Hills on Tuesday has sparked anger among her family and neighbors.

Lisa Via, 42, died at Chino Valley Medical Center at 2:56 a.m. after being crushed while standing between the car and a tow truck, said San Bernardino County coroner officials, who said she was dragged 40 feet. Authorities are investigating, but the tow truck driver has not been arrested.

"This should not have happened," said Via's sister, Sandy Pavlek, in an interview with KTLA. "A tow truck killed her right in her driveway."

Some neighbors complained that two truck drivers come early in the morning and grab cars without telling residents.

Officials said Chino Valley firefighters arrived on the scene in the 15000 block of Monte Vista Avenue after 1 a.m. to find the woman injured. She was put on advanced life support and taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead, said Massiel De Guevara, a spokeswoman for the Chino Valley Independent Fire District.

According to KTLA, as the tow-truck driver began pulling the car out of the driveway, he lost sight of Via and assumed she was away from the vehicles. At that point, Via's husband ran outside and told the driver his wife was stuck under the car. The driver used a jack to lift the car and pulled Via out from underneath.

RELATED:

Woman killed in car repossession gone wrong

-- Nate Jackson

Comments

[Schigolch]

Lawsuit

[Hmph]

Wow. I hate to sound heartless, but people must pay their car notes or risk repossession of their vehicles! Of course the repo men come in the dead of night, why risk confrontations such as these? Apparently lots of people on that street don't pay their bills, since the neighbors are "complaining" that several cars get swooped up.

If there were some kind of mistake and she was current with her payments, she should have called the finance company the next morning and gotten to the bottom of it. If she WASN'T making her payments, it wasn't her car to keep. Her getting between the car and the tow truck, which is what caused her death in the first place, was a tragic and unnecessary move.

[Captain Howdy]

Lessons from this story: (1) keep current on your car payments; (2) if you fall behind and the lender repossesses the vehicle, do not interfere with the tow driver.

[Sam]

"Some neighbors complained that two truck drivers come early in the morning and grab cars without telling residents."

Regarding car repo's, that's the point. Get in and out with the vehicle quickly and quietly.

Cars aren't repossessed after one or two missing payments. These are cars that have several, and usually more missed payments. Times are difficult, no doubt, but it's not the purpose of banks to carry people on their backs.

Pay your car payments or take a bus or other means of transportation.

You have a choice.

[jaytee]

While tragic, let's not lose sight of the fact that this chain of events was set in motion by a person who decided that they didn't have to make their car payments, as promised by signing the contract with the auto finance company. Sounds like an accident, but she shoulders most of the blame.

[Ray]

Manslaughter!

[deliberate]

This is what America has become. No on is responsible for their life anymore, some one else is. Life circumstances always change over time, it's a given, nothing stays the same for long. Are these people children who live in a fantasy land where debts and obligations should be forgiven or excused because "things changed" and you can no longer pay? My parents raised 3 children on a meager salary and we never, ever received any kind of public assistance, no section 8 vouchers, no food stamps, nothing. And you know what, my parents never expected it, never asked for it, and certainly never cried about it to their debtors, and they never taught us that our life was someone else's responsibility, it is always ours. In leaner than usual times they simply battened down the hatches, cut up the credit cards, cut back on luxuries like gas and food, and we got through it.

If you didn't prepare for your life and what will happen in your future, guess what, you're going to suffer for it, as it should be. Why should anyone else suffer for it? If you don't make your car payments, then car makers will go out of business and more people will lose their jobs because of your failure to pay. Same thing for all of your other debts. Either don't go into debt, or always stand by your obligations. I feel sorry for this woman, but not her actions. God Bless Her Soul.

[Spokker]

Towing a car is not a stealth act. There was no reason the woman should have been between the car and the tow truck. I was towed twice in my life and that's not where I stood. I stood far back and gave the man room to work.

If there is evidence of malice on the part of the tow truck driver, the family should present it. But they should also be honest about the actions of their dearly departed.

[Big Bird]

I don't see why being behind on car payments has anything to do with her tragic death. The real question is whether the tow truck driver was negligent in causing her death. That is the only issue here. The folks who suggest she had this coming are off base and clearly in need of moral guidance.

[Kit Kat]

Maybe the family should be outraged that Via wasn't making her car payments. When did this get to be ok?

[michael]

this woman used to work at my school. this was a very tragic event.

[Bruno]

Sounds like she may have just gotten upset and in her agitated state got where she shouldn't have been. Repo drivers try to avoid conflict by getting in/out fast. If they stuck around to argue with every person there would be far far more death and injury from fights and assaults on the drivers.

I work around heavy equipment daily and I wouldn't stand anywhere near a vehicle with its engine running, much less a tow truck. If you haven't driven a vehicle where you can only see from your side-view mirrors you have no understanding of just how easy it is for someone to be in a blind spot.

Tragic, but easy to understand how a highly agitated person would get in trouble when they forget about safety and are all about stopping the repo.

[EL Dabe Law Firm]

Her payments (or lack thereof) is a non-issue. THe tow truck driver is negligent and his insurance must pay. He likely admitted his negligence to the police and KTLA ..."he assumed she was away from the vehicles." Clearly, he was wrong, she was not away, and now she is dead. He should have either called the police to remover her, or left and come back another time.

[zab]

As far as I'm concerned, the driver needs to be charged with homicide. You need to be careful when you're a paid goon working on the behalf of banks. You can't just go around killing people because you assume that they stepped away from the vehicle.

As far as coming in the middle of the night to avoid confrontation - why be a coward? Why don't they do it in broad daylight where everyone can see and you have less chance of killing people who can't afford to make car payments?

[Mike Morrison]

You're all retarded...it was 01:00 hrs, he snuck in, tied onto her car. She ran out NOT knowing it was being re-possed, thinking like anyone of you that someone was taking her car. He lost sight of her !!!!! THEN STOP....He chose to ignore the FACT that he did not know were she was, but chose to continue driving anyway. She didn't pay her payment. These guys are thugs, I watch them sometimes on TV..they need to send someone to the door, if the owner resists then the cops should be called and handle it like ther paid to do.

[JP]

Sounds like neither person had enough sense to realize a car is not worth a life. The lady should not have stood there, but the driver should not have driven off. One person has paid for their stupidity, the other one still needs to do the same.

[William Dillson]

There are laws protecting the owners of the vehicle being repossessed that vary by state, most of which state that if the repossessing of the vehicle causes a breach of the peace, the tow truck driver is to discontinue the repossession immediately. If the woman was protesting to the point where she was standing in between her vehicle and the tow truck, that would qualify. The tow truck driver knew damned well what was occurring and should be charged with manslaughter. Probably will be shortly. Repo men are serious scumbags, but they certainly know the law. This guy killed someone deliberately.

[Sharon]

I knew this family years ago, I am sorry for their loss. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

[mike]

This would have never happened if she hadn't fought with the repo man as well as if she had payed her bills. Word for the wise don't spend what you don't have. Credit is just a way for the goverment to make you their puppets

[spencer]

you people are beyond callus. falling behind on your car payment should not result in your death. Most of these repo people are vile arrogant people who think they the law. i hope this driver faces manslaughter charges. Shameful and disgusting as are most of you...

[kevin f.]

I repossessed cars for 5 years in the city of Detroit. I always went to the door and allowed the debtor to retrieve their property and take their plate off. We got the keys and drove it , if not during tow, 2nd guy watched behind vehicle until clear to avoid kds, people, animals. These guys sound a little squemish and should not have been there most likely.

[joe]

This is a terrible thing, the driver said he lost sight of her and assumed she was away from the car, if a person is standing between the truck and the vehicle being towed, the only assumption that should have been made was that she is holding her ground and does not plan on moving, so I better wait for help with this property owner.The fact that the car is going to be reposessed is just that, a fact, it will be recovered, but be smart and be safe, that's why we all have cell phones, to call for help, even the owner can call police to make sure they have proper paperwork and if they did then the owner can redeem the vehicle the same day and still be alive. I really am sorry for her and her family and by the way I am a recovery company and have never once put myself or the customer in any kind of danger.