After tow trucks refused to help stuck Rivian R1T a neighbor decided to find the truth
- In February, a Rivian R1T appeared stuck and abandoned on a road in Arizona
- A local woman asked three towing companies to rescue it, but they all refused the job
- She decided to take matters into her own hands, ultimately saving the car thanks to a viral TikTok video
Published on Jul 04, 2024 at 11:47 PM (UTC+4)
by Andie Reeves
Last updated on Jul 04, 2024 at 11:50 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
The case of the mysterious abandoned Rivian R1T has been solved.
The EV had been stuck in a ditch for months after a crash on a snowy day in February.
A local women went viral on TikTok after posting about the Rivian pickup.
After three towing companies refused to take on the job of saving it, she decided to play detective herself.
READ MORE: Pictures of this odd Rivian Safari truck are going viral
Some towing jobs are easier than others, and this one came with a significant risk.
Because the car is an EV, with its battery underneath it, this particular tow was a massive insurance risk.
How a Rivian R1T ended up in a ditch
Wendy Carlson, the Arizona resident who went viral for cracking the Rivian’s case, went for a walk with her dog in February this year.
On her walk she spotted the truck stuck in an unusual spot.
It’s reported that the owner didn’t see an ice patch that had formed on the ground, drove over it and lost traction.
The car rolled backwards onto another road, this one much more steep and narrow than the main road he’d been on.
This narrow road has a mountain on one side and a steep drop on the other, making it pretty inaccessible to tow trucks.
To make matters worse, that night a snowstorm blew through the town, burying the truck in four feet of snow.
Once the show had melted, the mud underneath the truck had shifted, putting it in an even less rescuable position.
She reached out to three different towing companies who refused the job, which was when Carlson decided to take to TikTok for advice.
The rescue mission
Dominick Bova, the owner of a towing company, shared with The Sun just why towing companies wouldn’t want to take on this job.
“The batteries are located underneath the bottom of the vehicle and are very large,” he said.
“The battery itself is a third of the cost of the vehicle to replace if damaged.”
Considering a minor dent on a Rivian can cost $21,000 to repair, we understand their hesitation.
Luckily, thanks to Carlson’s TikTok, Rivian caught wind of the story.
The company sent out a vehicle to tackle the lengthy but ultimately successful rescue operation.
Of course, there’s no better car for the job, just look at the footage of the Rivian R1T pulling a truck way heavier than its tow rating out a ditch.
Despite having been stuck for nearly six months, the vehicle was in pretty good condition.
The owner is currently driving it while waiting for insurance to cover the dents and scratches.
And he says he has Carlson and her viral video to thank for everything.
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Andie is a content writer from South Africa with a background in broadcasting and journalism. Starting her career in the glossy pages of Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire, Andie has a broad portfolio, covering everything from sustainability solutions to celebrity car collections. When not at her laptop Andie can be found sewing, recording her podcast, taking board games too seriously or road-tripping in her bright green Kia.
