Sullivan County woman alleges that belongings 'stolen' by salvage company after car taken without permission
Parsons says her insurance company, National General, told her Copart would reach out to coordinate towing the car for an adjuster to look at it. She says no one ever did and that now, all of her stuff that was inside is missing.
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A Sullivan County woman is dealing with a car insurance nightmare after a tree fell on her car during a storm last month and it was then allegedly taken without her permission.
“The gentleman called me said, ‘I just picked up your car with a lockout kit,’” says Rebecca Parsons.
The 41-year-old Liberty woman says her 2018 Ford Edge was taken by Copart, a salvage company in Marlboro, while she was at work without notice on Dec. 13. Parsons says an employee called her by phone after it was removed from her residence.
“I immediately said 'Don’t take my car. I have all my belongings that I need to get and he said it’s too late,'” she said.
Parsons says her insurance company, National General, told her Copart would reach out to coordinate towing the car for an adjuster to look at it. She says no one ever did and that now, all of her stuff that was inside is missing.
“Tablets, toys, all that stuff, and I was in the process of moving so I had boxes in the back. I think they were stolen,” says Parsons.
National General and Copart tell News 12 they had permission to pick up the car and say they gave Parsons proof of an e-signature. They didn’t provide News 12 with the documentation, but Parsons forwarded an email from Copart with an attachment showing what appears to be a digital step-by-step breakdown of her case that does not have an e-signature on it.
“Anyone can type that up with Microsoft Word. There’s no signature, nothing. I did not release the car,” Parsons says.
Parsons says her windshield was damaged by the fallen tree and that she expected to get the car back after it was fixed. She alleges, instead, Copart immediately put her car up for auction - without the keys and before she agreed to sign over the title.
The company says it offered to pay Parsons $200 for the ordeal.
Parsons says she had Christmas heirlooms in the car that were priceless and that she gave the company receipts showing the value of the items allegedly missing cost much more.
The woman says she plans on reporting the incident to state police.
News 12 reached out to Copart’s corporate office for more information.
