Towing Issues: Towing a vehicle after 4 wheels stolen, wheels tires, spare tires

Question
My stolen car (Dodge Intrepid) was recovered but all 4 wheels were taken... the police ordered it towed and the tow truck just dragged it onto a flat-bed, and now its just sitting in dirt (not on blocks) at the tow yard.  I'm planning on bringing over 4 replacements wheels/tires and hoping it will still be driveable.  Is the tow company required to keep damage limited when towing a vehicle without wheels?  And if there was damage due to the dragging and dropping do I have any recourse?  Thanks!

Answer
Well sorry to hear your vehicle was stolen. It's good that it was recovered mostly intact.

Now as to the towing companies requirements for towing. I hate to say it but when the police call for a tow, you basically get told corner of such and such (that's about it) for the tow.  They do not know what they are responding to or what equipment would be needed.  Now if the wheels were gone, 90% of the time the police do not tell towers that. So depending on what kind of truck they respond with depends on how the call is handled. Yes most tows are done now with flatbeds.  

I am sure that the vehicle was on the ground to start with and thieves are not concerned with taking care of the vehicle. So damage has happened. Dragging it up onto the flatbed is how its usually done, but there are also ways to lessen the potential of damages,  blocks - skates  are just a few ways.  

Now as to unloading it and leaving it on the ground. I know that I would not do that, I would try to leave it on blocks or something, but that is me.  Also I have towed so many vehicles like that, where we finally have to leave it on the ground as we ran out of jack stands, wood, spare tires or rims and the like.  And of course if I had used skates (specially designed systems for moving vehicles) I could not leave them under each vehicle which needed them. They are a very commonly used item so they need to be on the truck at all times.

Now as to the recourse, of course you can try to claim against the towing service, but what damages were done before it was towed.  If you have insurance to cover the loss then its all on that claim most of the time.

I really do not know what you would like for an answer. Do you think they should of went out and got tires, lugnuts and rims for your vehicle?   Or should they have went and bought a set of jack stands for your vehicle to be set on(that in itself is very tricky and dangerous to unload onto jack stands with a flatbed. A regular tow truck can do it better and safer)

Hope this helped.