Portland tow trucks, auto shops slammed after ice storm

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - Some in the metro area have been busy around the clock the last several days helping drivers who got stuck or damaged their cars because of the ice.

Fox 12 met Nathan Anaya from Anaya Towing before the worst of the storm this past Thursday. On Monday, Anaya shared some video to show just how bad last week’s ice storm was for drivers in the metro area. Anaya and his colleagues us say the work was constant from Friday through Saturday.

“There were a lot of people that were sliding,” said Anaya. “There were a couple situations where people’s wheels were falling off. You know, hitting curbs, ripping the wheels off”.

Auto shops have also felt the impact of the storm. At Comfort Auto & Body Repair in Northeast Portland, owner Daniel Leveque says us he and his team have already taken on 20 new repair jobs because of accidents after the storm.

“A lot of sideswipes, mirrors broken down the side streets, that had the more impact,” said Leveque. “It’s really common.”

Leveque says auto shops across the region have been inundated with work lately, and an uptick in crashes because of winter weather adds even more to the busy schedule.

“We’re getting jobs from Bend, Salem, Washington. So we’re getting everybody’s jobs right now, a lot of shops are 3-4 months out,” said Leveque. “Especially with our normal customers we’re trying to take on everything.”

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