Towing Issues: Wheel Damage caused by Wheel Lift, autobody repair shop, lift tow

Question
Hello,

My Lincoln Navigator was involved in a minor collision in San Jose, CA.  I have AAA so I called a truck out. Due to the collision, I had lost all steering capabilities and my wheels were stuck in a sharp right position. When the truck arrived it was not the flat bed I was expecting but a Wheel Lift tow truck. The driver attempted to attach the wheel lift even though the wheels wouldn't return to the straight position.  When he felt that everything was secure, he started lifting it up which is when my SUV was dropped by the tow truck about three feet back to the ground. The result were deep dents and scratches on the front wheels of my car where the wheel lift was attached. I know that I should have said something to the driver at this point, but he wasnt very friendly, and I had just been in an accident and was pretty overwhelmed.  I called AAA the next day and filed a damage complaint. It took the tow agency 17 days to go check the damage out at the autobody repair shop and due to the SUV being in the elements during this time, rust had started to form on the exposed scratches. At this point, the right wheel has been replaced and paid for by my insurance since it was involved in the collision, however, the left wheel has not been replaced and now the tow truck agency has claimed no responsibility and stated to AAA that the damage is "curb damage" and was there prior since there is rust.  Im not sure what to do about this and Im having no luck with AAA.  Any advise you can give me about this type of situation wheel lift tow trucks is appreciated. Is a wheel lift tow truck typically used if the wheels of the vehicle aren't straight?

Answer
Part of this question says that this is more detailed than it sounds.

First of all, having AAA or any other auto club does not guarantee that you will get a flatbed or a wheel lift tow truck automatically... You usually get what truck is the closest..
Now as the vehicle had a minor accident and broke a steering link causing the wheels to be hard over to the right side that would of caused problems with it rolling up on a flatbed tow truck (it would of rolled off the side then) as the wheels to not turn... Now a "good operator" can do the job with either truck, but keep in mind that accidents do happen...

There are like 100 different kinds of wheel lift systems out there and I can not really provide specific information but I have used them for 20+ years towing all kinds of problems and from all kinds of accidents... Yes they do have problems at times, but not many. Some wheel lift systems the operator does not even have to get out to hook up and some systems are manually worked with pieces installed.

I am wondering about the fact the vehicle "fell 3 feet" that is way up there in towing distances.  Now as to the wheel lift scratching and denting the rims.  I do not know what kind of truck it was  but most all wheel lift tow trucks do not get close to rims as they grab the tires only...

Now as to the tow company not taking responsibility for damages, its like any other thing. You have to keep on them and see what comes of it. AAA at times will help you resolve this issue but not always...

Worse case is you have to go the small claims court route for damages.
I hope this helps you a bit.