Body Shops See Glut Of Winter-Damaged Cars

OSSEO, Minn. (WCCO) - Body shops are a busy place to be after that first major snow and ice combination of the year.

They're busy now, and it will likely stay that way until spring.

Bob and Carl's Auto Body and Glass in Osseo looks like a car infirmary, with broken headlights, missing taillights and everything in between.

Tony Smith, co-owner at Bob & Carl's, says the work is piling up.

"Still spinning out and we're still getting work," Smith said. "Cars are being towed in."

Their busy time actually begins in the fall, when deer are the obstacle. Now, snow and slippery roads have taken over.

Business spins out just a bit before the first snowfall, but this week it went into overdrive.

"It was perfect combination of the snow along with the cold temperatures that really kept the roads pretty dangerous until even now," he said.

Smith says some of the car damage is related to risky driving.

"Got a Volkswagen over here where [a] gal … thought she could just pile drive right through [a snow pile]. And guess what? It took out the whole bottom end of her car, and now she's got $4,400 in damage," he said.

Smith also told WCCO that distracted driving, plus treacherous road conditions, often leads to the most damage.