Most of the roads between Meath towns have no hard shoulder, just a grass verge and a drain beside it. Meet a tractor on a bend, brake on wet leaves or misjudge the edge in the dark, and the car can slide off before you know it. Here is what to do next.
1. Check on people first
If someone is injured, the car has rolled, or if you smell fuel or see smoke, ring 112 and wait for the emergency services. The car can wait.
2. Do not try to drive it out
Spinning the wheels usually digs the car in deeper and can damage the gearbox or clutch. A car with one wheel hanging over a drain can also tip further when it moves.
3. Make the scene visible
Hazard lights on. If the car sticks out into the road, warn other drivers if you can do it safely, for example with a warning triangle well back from a bend. Then stand away from the road, behind the car, never in front of it.
4. Ring us and describe how it is lying
Ring 085 783 9202. Tell us:
- Where you are: townland, nearest village, road number if you know it, and a landmark
- How the car is lying: two wheels in the drain, all four off the road, nose into the hedge
- Whether it still starts, and whether anything is leaking
- Where you want it to go once it is out
How we get it out
The truck parks on the road, the line goes on, and the car is pulled back onto the tarmac slowly, the way it went in. Once it is on four wheels we check that it rolls and steers, and then it is loaded onto the deck and strapped down.
What it costs
The price starts with our call-out from €150, then €2 a kilometre to the destination. A car that is well into a ditch can take more work than a simple tow, so tell us honestly how it is lying and we will tell you on the call if that changes anything, before you agree.
Afterwards
Even if the car looks fine, get it checked before you drive it far. A knock into a drain can bend steering parts or damage a tyre wall without much to see. Many people ask us to take it straight to their own garage for that reason.
Read more about ditch and verge recovery.