Owners picking up 'Bashed' vehicles

IONIA, Mich. (WOOD) - The first vehicles stranded at the Ionia County Fairgrounds since last weekend's B-93 Birthday Bash were removed Saturday.

Organizers estimate about a 100 cars were removed. Some cars are driveable, others are not.

The flood that ended the show last Saturday has subsided and the first cars have started to be pulled out. The towing started two days earlier than expected.

Bradley Whitney, whose car was totalled, said there was a water line all the way up to the seats.

"Most of the people were kind of mad when they saw their cars like this," Whitney said. "B-93 should have told us before they started parking anybody that you shouldn't park your car down there."

Car owners will receive a call before their car is towed and told to meet at the ISD Building on Harwood Road.

From there owners will be taken to their car, which will have been towed out of the lot that flooded to higher ground.

Portland-based Reed & Hoppes got the contract to do the big job at the fairgrounds and there are many other towing companies standing by.

"We're going to go in start hooking cars and start moving them to higher ground for 'em," John Hoppes, co-owner of Reed & Hoppes, told 24 Hour News 8 Friday.

According to Hoppes, B-93 contacted Reed & Hoppes Thursday to get the 1,000 vehicles out.

The vehicles will be taken from the once flooded south lot to a staging area with insurance adjusters. Those adjusters will make the decision on whether the vehicle is totaled or repairable.

Royce King, the Fix Operations Director, at Berger Chevrolet in Ionia says the minimum turnaround on the repairable vehicels will likely be 5 to 10 days.

If you're picking up your car from the fairground, King said to check the oil. If the level appears to be over, he recommends not to start your car because more than likely it means you have a lot of water mixed in the tank.