Jan’s Towing mountain recovery

You’ve probably seen big tow trucks around town featuring the name Jan’s Towing on the door.
That’s because Arcadia has contracted with the Azusa-based Jan’s Towing for all city tow services.
But this isn’t any ordinary tow company. You’ll see their trucks and signs at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, where they are also the official tow service.

And when cars need to be pulled out of mountain canyons, Jan’s Towing is one of the primary company’s hired for the job. And what a job that is, as you’ll see in this 3 1/2-minute video (below) showcasing Jan’s Towing at the Speedway and a much longer-than-expected 7-hour recovery of one of a growing number of cars being spotted demolished amongst brush at the bottom of canyons. In this case, one of two cars Jan’s was called to recover in the mountains above Glendora was a whopping 800 feet below the road. (Continued below…)

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There are always cars found in canyons that have been wrecked by people driving too fast on the miles and miles of mountain road switchbacks, including people racing cars and performing “drifting.” But the number has grown to hundreds each year as the economy has worsened, with some people ditching their cars and reporting it as stolen to collect insurance. Be warned that in addition to the legal ramifications, the tow recovery bill alone will set you back a couple of thousand dollars.

The Jan’s Towing job in this video shot in July required several trucks, a half-dozen men, tons of tools and equipment, and lots of water as it was well over 100-degrees with no shade. The workers who descend the canyon must be equipped as if they are about to climb a mountain, and all of them are careful to take every safety precaution not only for themselves but to guard against sparking a fire. Angeles National Forest officials spent several hours on site overseeing the daylong project.