When you live in an occasionally snowy urban area and own a car, snow emergencies are an inevitable occasional annoyance. They impose different alternate-side parking rules so plow crews can clear heavy snow accumulation from the sides of roads, towing vehicles that remain in the way. One woman in St. Paul, Minnesota tried to rescue her car, then learned that you can’t actually drive a car hooked to a tow truck.

Yes, that’s how snow emergencies work: the plow crews need the street to be clear of vehicles so they can clean up, and police will helpfully move motorists’ cars out of the way for them if they fail to do so. They move them to an impound lot after trying to contact the car’s owner, but one St. Paul, Minnesota resident tried to solve the problem herself.

Specifically, she allegedly tried to drive off while her car was partway up the truck’s bed. Police officers say that when they found out and arrived on the scene, the woman ran away and went back into her house.

“She could be hurt, the tow driver could be hurt, tow truck could be damaged and even her vehicle could be damaged,” a police officer observed. “Nobody wants any of that to happen.”

It would have cost a $75 fee for the tow truck driver to simply release her car, but she didn’t have that money on hand. Instead, she owes a higher fee to have her car released from the impound lot, and a $56 citation for remaining parked on the street during the snow emergency. In addition to that, one of her tires deflated during the tow truck ruckus, so that will need to be fixed before she can drive the vehicle home… or to a different safe location.

She claims that she had no idea about the snow emergency.

St. Paul Woman Tries to Drive Away While Connected To Tow Truck [CBS Minnesota]

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