> **Quick Answer:** Get off the road if you can move the car safely, then check for a flat tire, bent wheel, or fluid leaking under the car. If the steering pulls hard, a tire is flat, or you see any fluid on the ground, do not drive it. Call a tow. If the car feels normal and nothing is leaking or visibly bent, you may be able to drive to a shop, but have it inspected before your next highway trip.
## What Do I Do Right After Sliding on Ice and Hitting a Curb?
Get the car out of traffic first. If the vehicle moves and the steering responds, pull onto the shoulder or into a nearby parking lot. Turn on your hazard lights immediately, before you do anything else. Once you are stopped somewhere safer, take a breath, then start your damage check from outside the car.
Do not stand between your car and moving traffic. If you are on a highway or busy arterial road in icy conditions, stay inside the car with your seatbelt on until help arrives. Other drivers are dealing with the same ice you just hit.
## How Do I Know If the Car Is Safe to Drive or If I Need a Tow?
Walk around the car and check these four things in order:
1. **Tires.** A curb strike at speed can blow a tire or crack the wheel rim even if the tire holds air for a few minutes. Look for obvious deflation, a bulge in the sidewall, or a cracked alloy rim. Press on the sidewall. If it feels soft at all, it is losing air.
2. **Steering.** Get back in and try to straighten the wheel. If the car tracks straight, that is a good sign. If the steering wheel is cocked to one side when the car is going straight, or if you feel grinding or resistance, a tie rod or control arm may be bent.
3. **Fluids.** Look under the car. Power steering fluid, coolant, and brake fluid can all leak from a hard curb hit. A puddle that is not just water is a reason to call a tow immediately.
4. **Sounds.** A clunking or grinding sound when you move the wheel side to side, or a rubbing noise when you roll forward slowly, means something is contacting the tire. Stop driving.
If any of those four checks fails, you need a tow. Do not drive a car with a cracked rim, a leaking brake line, or a bent suspension component on winter roads. The same ice that caused the first slide will punish a compromised car much harder. If you are dealing with a related issue like a blown tire, [flat tire on freeway at night: who to call](/flat-tire-on-freeway-at-night-who-to-call/) covers your options in detail.
## What Does a Tow Cost After an Ice Accident?
A local tow of 5 to 10 miles runs roughly $75 to $150 in most markets. If the car needs to go to a specific shop across town, expect $125 to $200 or more depending on mileage and whether a flatbed is required. Suspension damage often means the wheels cannot roll freely, which means a flatbed, not a standard wheel-lift truck. Flatbeds typically cost $20 to $40 more than a wheel-lift tow for the same distance.
Check your insurance before you pay out of pocket. Collision coverage applies here because you hit something, even if th
*Photo: Pexels*
at something was a curb. Your insurer may also cover the tow under that same claim. If you have roadside assistance through your policy, the tow itself may cost nothing. [Does State Farm pay for towing after accident](/does-state-farm-pay-for-towing-after-accident/) and [who pays towing costs after a not at fault accident](/who-pays-towing-costs-after-not-at-fault-accident/) are worth checking if you are unsure how your coverage applies.
## What Damage Should I Tell the Mechanic to Check?
Tell the shop exactly what happened: hit a curb, speed estimate, which corner of the car took the impact. A competent alignment tech will put it on a rack and check the following:
- **Tie rod ends and inner tie rods.** These bend before they break, which makes the car drift and wear tires fast.
- **Control arms and ball joints.** A bent control arm can look fine but will cause camber problems that destroy a tire in a few hundred miles.
- **Wheel bearing.** A hard curb impact can crack or loosen the bearing. You may not hear it for days, then it gets loud fast.
- **Brake caliper and rotor.** If the wheel was turned when it hit, the caliper can contact the rotor mount.
Do not skip the alignment check just because the car drives okay. A car that is one degree out of alignment on a front wheel will eat the inside edge of that tire within 5,000 miles.
*Photo: Pexels*
## Common Questions
**Q: Can I drive a short distance on a bent rim after hitting a curb on ice?**
A: No. A cracked or bent rim can fail suddenly, especially under braking on a slippery road. Even a short drive risks a complete blowout or loss of control. Get it towed.
**Q: Will my insurance cover a tow if I slid on ice and hit a curb?**
A: Yes, if you have collision coverage. The curb strike is a collision. Your roadside assistance add-on, if you have one, may cover the tow separately without touching your collision deductible.
**Q: My steering feels fine but the car is pulling to the right after hitting a curb on ice. Do I need to stop driving?**
A: You should get it to a shop today, not tomorrow. A pull after a curb strike usually means a bent tie rod or misaligned control arm. It will not fix itself and it will get worse, especially under hard braking.
**Q: The tire looks fine but I heard a loud bang when I hit the curb. What was that?**
A: Likely the tire compressing hard against the rim, which can crack the rim bead seat or cause an internal sidewall break that is not visible from outside. Have the tire and rim inspected before you trust it on the highway.
**Q: How long will a tow take to arrive after an ice storm?**
A: Tow trucks get swamped during winter weather events. Waits of 60 to 120 minutes are common in a heavy storm. Call immediately, then stay warm in the car with hazards on. If you are on a highway, most states run road condition hotlines through 511 that can also dispatch assistance.
---
*Need roadside help? Visit [Tow With The Flow](https://towwiththeflow.com/car-sliding-on-ice-hit-curb-need-tow/) for real answers when your car breaks down.*
Car Sliding on Ice Hit Curb: What to Do and When You Need a Tow
Photo: Pexels