When your car breaks down on M-140 near South Haven or you’re stranded on I-94 between Niles and Paw Paw, panic is often your first feeling. But knowing exactly what steps to take during a roadside emergency can mean the difference between a quick resolution and hours of frustration.
Gardner Towing is a 24/7 emergency towing service serving Van Buren and Berrien Counties. We’ve responded to thousands of emergencies and roadside assistance calls from Covert, South Haven, Berrien Springs, Niles, and surrounding areas. This guide reflects the real-world expertise our team has learned from years of helping stranded drivers across southwest Michigan. Our USDOT #4045375 certification and 15-minute response guarantee in the Covert 49043 area show our commitment to rapid, professional service. We want to help you stay safe and get back on the road fast.
Understanding Your Safety First
Your Safety Comes Before Everything Else
Your immediate priority isn’t getting your car towed—it’s staying safe. Whether you’re near Covert’s Township Park, stuck on a rural stretch of US-31 heading toward Buchanan, or broken down near Berrien Springs, your personal safety must come first.
Assess Your Situation: The First 30 Seconds
The moment you realize something is wrong—whether it’s smoke from under the hood, a blown tire, an engine that won’t start, or an accident—stay calm and evaluate your surroundings. Ask yourself:
- Am I on a high-speed highway like I-94 or US-31?
- Am I in a safe location or in active traffic?
- Am I alone or with passengers, including children?
- Am I in a safe neighborhood or a more isolated area?
During our years of responding to roadside emergencies across Van Buren County and Berrien County, we’ve learned that drivers who stay calm and make a quick assessment experience faster resolutions with less stress.
Get Off the Road Safely: Step-by-Step Instructions
If you’re on a busy road—especially I-94 between South Bend and Kalamazoo, or US-31 near Niles—your goal is to safely move your vehicle away from traffic if possible. If your car is still working:
- Carefully signal, check your mirrors, and move to the right shoulder
- Continue moving until you reach a safer location, such as a parking lot, rest area, or well-lit area away from moving cars
- If your vehicle is not working or you cannot safely move it, stay inside your vehicle with your seatbelt fastened and doors locked until help arrives
This is critical because we’ve responded to situations where drivers tried to move their vehicles in ways that put them in danger. The safest approach is to prioritize getting out of active traffic rather than trying to fix your car on the side of the road.
Activate Your Hazard Lights Immediately
The moment you’ve pulled over safely, activate your hazard lights. This simple action alerts other drivers and emergency responders to your location. In Michigan’s southwest region, where bad weather can affect how far drivers can see and road conditions change, hazard lights are particularly important during early morning, evening, or bad weather.
Pro tip: If you have reflective triangles or road flares, place them 50, 100, and 200 feet behind your vehicle—especially important on faster-moving roads like I-94 where drivers have less time to react.
When You’re Stranded: The First Minutes Matter
You Have About 30 Seconds to Make the Right Choice
From our experience responding to thousands of roadside emergency calls, the drivers who make the best decisions in this short time are those who already knew what they would do.
Determine If You Need Professional Help: Clear Decision Points
Some situations require immediate professional help:
- Engine smoke or fire – Get everyone out of the vehicle safely and call 911
- You’re injured – Call 911 immediately; towing is secondary to medical care
- You’re in an accident – Call 911 and remain at the scene for police documentation
- You’re in extreme weather – Assess safety before attempting roadside repairs
- Your vehicle won’t start and you’re not confident fixing it yourself – Call Gardner Towing’s emergency towing service
- You’ve run out of fuel – Our roadside assistance service includes fuel delivery
- Flat tire in an unsafe location – Don’t risk changing a tire in active traffic; our professional roadside assistance is safer and faster
- You need a jump-start – Our roadside assistance team can get your engine running in minutes
- You hear grinding or unusual mechanical sounds – Call us immediately before driving any further
From our direct experience helping stranded drivers, the most dangerous situations involve drivers trying to fix their cars on the side of the road in heavy traffic or trying to drive damaged vehicles to a repair shop. These situations often cause more problems and accidents.
Call for Help: What to Tell the Dispatcher
When you call Gardner Towing at +1 (269) 519-0528, having specific information ready helps us reach you faster and bring the right equipment. Here’s exactly what to tell us:
Your Exact Location (Most Important)
- “I’m on M-140 heading north, about 2 miles south of South Haven near the Van Buren State Park entrance”
- “I-94 eastbound, between exit 85 (Niles) and exit 80, mile marker 82”
- “US-31 near Buchanan, approximately 1 mile south of the Buchanan High School entrance”
- “In the parking lot at the Four Winds Casino Hartford”
- Give us street names, mile markers, or landmarks—anything that helps us find you
Your Vehicle Details
- Year, make, model, and color (for example: “2018 Honda Civic, blue”)
- License plate number
- Current status (engine running, won’t start, damage visible, smoke visible, etc.)
Your Situation (This Determines What Truck We Send)
- “I have a flat tire but no jack”
- “My engine overheated and I’m stranded”
- “I was in an accident; vehicle is not working”
- “I’ve run out of fuel”
- “My car won’t start—battery dead or engine issue”
- “Strange sounds from the engine, might be transmission”
Your Safety Status
- “I’m safely in my vehicle with my family”
- “I’m injured and need emergency help”
- “I need a police report filed for an accident”
- “I’m on the side of the road and it’s getting dark”
This information allows Gardner Towing’s dispatchers to prepare the right equipment and send you the correct truck within our guaranteed 15-minute response time for the Covert 49043 area, or as quickly as possible for surrounding communities. Our team has years of experience managing these calls efficiently.
Common Roadside Emergencies in Southwest Michigan
Based on our response data and direct experience serving Van Buren County and Berrien County, here are the situations we see most often and how to handle them:
Flat Tires: The Most Common Emergency
Flat tires are the most common roadside emergency in Van Buren County and Berrien County, especially during Michigan’s spring and fall seasons when potholes are common. If you’re on I-94 between Niles and Kalamazoo, or on busy local roads like M-140, trying to change a tire in traffic is dangerous and completely unnecessary.
When to Change Your Tire Yourself
If you’re in a genuinely safe location (like a parking lot or quiet residential street) with room to work, have a spare tire and jack, and feel confident in your ability, changing a tire yourself is fine.
When to Call Gardner Towing
If you’re in traffic (especially on I-94), don’t have a spare, the tire is damaged beyond repair, or you’re in an unsafe location, our professional roadside assistance services can typically reach you within 15 minutes in Covert and surrounding areas. We have the right equipment, we work safely in traffic, and we can check whether your spare is safe to drive on or if you need professional repair.
What we’ve learned: Most drivers think they can safely change a tire in traffic, and they underestimate the danger. In our years of service, we’ve safely handled countless tire situations that would have been dangerous for drivers to manage alone.
Dead Batteries: Winter’s Most Common Problem
Michigan’s cold winters can drain even relatively new batteries, leaving drivers stranded in parking lots at Berrien Springs shopping centers, near South Haven beach attractions, or anywhere between. If you have jumper cables and another vehicle available, a jump-start might work. However, if your battery keeps dying, you might have an electrical charging system issue requiring professional diagnosis.
Our 24/7 roadside assistance is available across Van Buren County and Berrien County. We arrive quickly with professional-grade equipment to get you safely back on the road or transport your vehicle to a repair facility if the battery isn’t the only problem.
Real example from our work: We’ve responded to multiple situations where drivers thought they had a dead battery, but the real issue was a failing alternator or corroded battery terminals. Our experience helps us quickly identify the actual problem, saving drivers time and money.
Engine Overheating: A Summer Roadside Problem
Overheating is less common in Michigan’s cooler climate but can happen during summer heat waves or if your cooling system has issues. Never open the radiator cap on a hot engine—escaping steam can cause severe burns that we’ve unfortunately seen treated in emergency rooms.
If your temperature gauge spikes while driving near Paw Paw or on US-31 heading toward Buchanan:
- Turn off the AC and turn on the heater to draw heat away from the engine
- Pull over safely and turn off the engine
- Wait 15-20 minutes before checking coolant levels (and be careful when you do)
- If the problem persists, call Gardner Towing’s emergency towing service rather than risk engine damage
Our expertise: Continuing to drive with an overheating engine can damage the head gasket or warp the cylinder head—repairs costing thousands of dollars. Getting professional help early saves money and prevents breakdowns in dangerous locations later.
Running Out of Fuel: More Common Than You’d Think
It happens more often than you’d expect, especially to travelers unfamiliar with the distances between towns in southwest Michigan. The distance from Covert to Paw Paw is roughly 20 miles. From South Haven to Kalamazoo is about 50 miles. Drivers often underestimate these distances.
If you run out of fuel on M-140 between Covert and South Haven, or on rural stretches of roads serving the area, our roadside assistance service can help get you back on the road. We can provide fuel delivery or towing assistance depending on your situation.
Pro tip: Keep a fuel gauge habit. When your tank hits half-full in unfamiliar areas, consider refueling. It’s a simple habit that prevents this situation entirely.
Transmission Problems: Sounds You Shouldn’t Ignore
If you hear grinding sounds, feel a loss of power, or notice fluid leaks, your vehicle needs professional assessment. Trying to drive to a repair shop risks thousands in additional damage. Transmission issues can get worse fast if you continue driving.
Gardner Towing’s flatbed towing service ensures your vehicle is safely transported without further mechanical stress. Flatbeds are important for vehicles with transmission problems because towing behind a truck can cause more damage.
From our experience: We’ve seen situations where drivers tried to drive transmission-damaged vehicles to a shop and caused an additional $2,000+ in damage that could have been prevented by professional towing from the start.
Why Choose Gardner Towing for Your Roadside Emergency
When you need help on the roads serving Covert, South Haven, Berrien Springs, Niles, Paw Paw, and surrounding communities, Gardner Towing offers advantages built on real experience:
Local Expertise and Geographic Knowledge
We know every highway, back road, and challenging spot in Van Buren County and Berrien County—from the I-94 corridor to the more rural routes serving small towns. Our service area coverage from Covert ensures you’re never far from help. We serve communities including South Haven, Paw Paw, Bangor, Hartford, Coloma, Watervliet, Covert, and Lawrence. This local knowledge means we can navigate to you faster, avoid traffic delays, and understand the specific hazards of each location. We’re not a national chain routing calls to distant dispatch centers—we’re local professionals who know these roads intimately.
24/7 Availability: Help Anytime You Need It
Emergencies don’t follow business hours. Gardner Towing operates 24/7, 365 days a year, including holidays and severe weather. Whether it’s 2 AM on a Wednesday or Sunday afternoon, help is always available. We understand that vehicle emergencies don’t schedule themselves around convenient times. Learn more about our complete covert towing services available around the clock.
Rapid Response Guarantee
Our 15-minute response guarantee in the Covert area means less time waiting and more time getting your situation resolved. For drivers stranded in unsafe conditions, this matters tremendously. Faster response means less exposure to dangerous traffic, fewer safety risks, and quicker restoration of your peace of mind.
Comprehensive Service Suite: One Company for Everything
Whether you need emergency towing, flatbed towing, heavy-duty towing, long-distance towing, roadside assistance, motorcycle towing, winch-out recovery, or accident recovery, we have the right solution. You don’t need multiple phone numbers—one call to Gardner Towing solves your problem.
Professional Equipment and Trained Team
Our fleet includes modern flatbed trucks for safe transport of disabled vehicles, preventing further damage. Our team of trained professionals knows how to handle sensitive situations—from extracting vehicles from ditches to safely securing valuable or damaged cars.
Fair Pricing and Transparency
No surprise charges or misleading estimates—just honest, professional service. We’ll explain what we’re doing, why, and what it costs before we do it. Request a quote to get pricing information for your situation.
Excellent Safety Record
With zero crashes or safety violations on our USDOT record, we prioritize both your safety and that of everyone on Michigan’s roads. This isn’t just a statistic—it reflects our commitment to responsible, careful service.
Prepare Today to Stay Safe Tomorrow
The best way to handle a roadside emergency is to prevent one. Keep your vehicle properly maintained with regular oil changes, tire rotations, battery checks, and coolant system service. Before long trips to Kalamazoo, Chicago, or anywhere outside your immediate area, take five minutes to check:
- Tire pressure and condition
- Fluid levels (oil, coolant, brake fluid)
- Battery condition and corrosion
- Spare tire condition and inflation
- Windshield wiper function
Keep an Emergency Kit in Your Vehicle
- Jumper cables
- Basic tool kit (jack, lug wrench, screwdrivers)
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Reflective triangles or road flares
- Mobile phone charger or portable battery pack
- Blanket and water bottles
- First-aid kit
- Phone numbers for emergency services and Gardner Towing
Save Gardner Towing’s Contact Information
Save Gardner Towing’s number in your phone today: +1 (269) 519-0528. When you need us, you’ll be grateful it’s just one tap away. For more information, check out our FAQs or visit our blog for helpful articles about winter driving and roadside emergencies.
Quick Decision Guide: When to Call
Your Engine Is Smoking
→ Call 911 and get out of the vehicle
You’re Injured
→ Call 911 immediately
You’re in an Accident
→ Call 911 for police response, then call Gardner Towing for professional accident recovery
Your Car Won’t Start
→ Call Gardner Towing emergency towing service at (269) 519-0528
You Have a Flat Tire in a Dangerous Location
→ Call our professional roadside assistance
Your Engine Is Overheating
→ Pull over safely, turn off the engine, wait 20 minutes, then call Gardner Towing emergency service if the problem persists
You’ve Run Out of Fuel
→ Call Gardner Towing roadside assistance for help
You’re on I-94 and Unsure of Your Location
→ Pull to the shoulder safely and call Gardner Towing at +1 (269) 519-0528 with your mile marker number
Location-Specific Roadside Help
If you’re stranded in a specific area, Gardner Towing provides dedicated towing and roadside assistance for your community:
- St. Joseph – Roadside assistance and emergency towing
- Benton Heights – Professional towing services
- Fair Plain – 24/7 roadside help
- South Haven – Fast emergency towing
- Paw Paw – Professional towing and assistance
- Hartford – Local roadside emergency help
No matter which community you’re in, Gardner Towing is available 24/7 to help you get back on the road safely.
Conclusion: Local Roadside Help You Can Trust
Gardner Towing LLC serves Van Buren County and Berrien County with comprehensive 24/7 emergency towing and roadside assistance from our base in Covert, MI (49043). We’re committed to rapid response, professional service, and your safety on every call. Our team brings direct experience managing emergency situations across Van Buren County and Berrien County, real-world expertise that comes from years of helping stranded drivers, and USDOT certification (#4045375) demonstrating our professional standards.
Our Complete Service Offerings
- Emergency Towing – Immediate response for accidents, breakdowns, and disabled vehicles
- Flatbed Towing – Safe transport for damaged or mechanical vehicles
- Heavy-Duty Towing – Powerful equipment for large vehicles
- Long-Distance Towing – Safe transport to distant repair shops
- Roadside Assistance – Professional help for common roadside issues
- Motorcycle Towing – Specialized bike transport
- Winch-Out Recovery – Extraction from challenging situations
- Accident Recovery – Professional accident scene assistance
Whether you’re stuck on I-94, stranded near South Haven, broken down near Berrien Springs, or anywhere in our service area, Gardner Towing is here for you.
Contact Gardner Towing Now
Phone: +1 (269) 519-0528
Address: 69458 34th Ave, Covert, MI 49043
Hours: Available 24/7 | 365 Days Per Year
Website: Visit Gardner Towing
Quick Links:
- Contact Us – Get in touch with our team
- About Us – Learn more about Gardner Towing
- Service Areas – See all communities we serve
- Request a Quote – Get pricing for your needs
- FAQs – Answers to common questions
- Blog – Helpful articles and tips
Gardner Towing LLC | Covert, MI 49043 | Serving Van Buren County & Berrien County including South Haven, Paw Paw, Bangor, Berrien Springs, Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, and surrounding areas | USDOT #4045375 | Fully Licensed & Insured | Local, Professional Roadside Assistance You Can Trust
