Claim for $115.20: Rejected. But like hundreds of other drivers suffering pothole damage in Omaha, Bailey found it was a losing case. Feedback about the website? The mayor of Vallejo, California, had to recently ask residents to stop taking it upon themselves to fix potholes in their community, claiming such pothole vigilantism presented a liability problem. For now, Mergens said she focuses less on other traffic and more on the road conditions. TIME reported in 2014 that damage claims are often rejected. 13-910(12). The remaining claims are being processed. Some are small but others are filled with water, disguising the pothole within. It essentially states the city must know about a road defect and be given a reasonable amount of time to fix it. The state also maintains what it calls a needs book, where data is broken down for every highway in the state in terms of its condition and maintenance profile. Follow him on Twitter @jeffreyrobb. Whether you are filing a claim with your insurance or the government, three things are essential: Documentation, documentation, documentation! Another shut down the R.L. Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 2021, attack on the Capitol disclosed that many of Trump's top . Rev. The staff is doing the best we can, he said, and I dont know any other way to do it.. Allstate. The number of pothole complaints around the city is in the hundreds -- but the city says they're patching what they can. Take pictures of the damage to the car, the location of the pot hole, and the surrounding area. According to Consumer Affairs, the states overall pavement condition is relatively good, but sometimes statistics cant account for everythingcase in point, a 9-inch deep pothole that wreaked havoc on Route 9 traffic near Wilmington, Vermont. "They're caused by nature. - Pothole complaints: 20.6 for every 1,000 km of road. The answer is: yes, you can. http://unomahanews.com/2022/04/13/uno-studio-coordinator-retires-in-may/, Reporter Crystal Kwaw has the story on UNO's drag show "Sashay to Earth Day." There are a few guidelines and "I hit the pothole and it was pretty bad," said Nauslar. Of those, only seven resulted in a payout from the city. World-Herald editorial cartoonist is always on top of the latest news. With average winter temps dropping to as much as minus 30 F in some regions and summers rarely cresting 60 F, freeze-thaw cycles in this northern state are brutal. One state senator likened driving around potholes to playing MarioKart with an actual risk of crashing. And residents feel the same way, with one referring to Rhode Island by the moniker the Pothole State. The Providence Journal recently tallied 13,000 potholes on just 17 roads since 2021. However, several people meeting the basic requirements are being denied for the same reason, Neb. Please subscribe to keep reading. We are spending taxpayer dollars, and we must be sure we are paying for damage that can be directly attributed to pothole damage, Stothert said. Be sure to note the exact location including the route, mile marker, and any nearby cross streets or interchanges. Were constantly evaluating methods, evaluating different repairs, equipment even, personnel, so its one of those things where were always looking at how to do things better, he says. 3) Specify the location of the issue by clicking on the map, entering the address, or using . This month, drivers around Omaha have grown frustrated as a bad crop of potholes pop open and damage their cars. In Atlanta, there is. A Fremont man was driving near 144th and Pacific when he encountered a pothole, blew a front tire and knocked his cars front end out of alignment. Last week right before the snow actually, I hit a pothole and it bent my rim, I had to replace the rim and also get another tire, Richardson adds. Most recently, 72nd street south of Dodge to Center street and I-80 has had panels of road replaced. Wear and tear is normal I get it. The median settlement . Drivers should instead contact their insurance company. If your car only suffered some minor dings and scratches (if that), you are definitely better off skipping any official claim process altogetherits just not worth the time and energy. Although the city has received only 38 claims so far for 2019, the pothole complaints are racking up. Pursuant to an update to New York State General Municipal Law 50-e, the Comptroller's Office provides for the electronic filing of claims against the City via the eClaim system. If you received a denial letter stating the city was not given a reasonable amount of time to respond to the pothole you hit click here to see if a pothole was reported before your incident and how long it took the city to fix it. It fits a tire in it, so Im hoping its just not anything else, said Erickson. The state is certainly aware of this factdrivers can apply for reimbursement for repairs needed to their vehicles as a result of a run-in with a pothole. About one in every eight claims got paid between 2020 and 2022. Note the date and time of the accident. She figures she fixed all three for about $30. You may also like: A timeline of WWII, the most devastating conflict in history, - Pothole complaints: 2.3 for every 1,000 km of road. Starting today the city had 34 crews on the streets using 300-degree asphalt to hot-patch the streets. I encountered an absolutely insane pothole just west of 72nd on Cass street earlier. We did some scouting for you. If a pothole damaged your car on an Omaha city street, the mayor said she would pay for it, if it met some basic requirements. She hit a pothole at the roundabout entering Elmwood Park that took out her front passenger tire. The city has denied 156 claims, for reasons including the pothole was not within the Omaha city limits, was located in a private . Rickey's ordeal started when he ran over a pothole on State Route 50. Despite the relative frequency of pothole-related complaintsnot to mention the estimated $709 per year hit a given driver will take as a result of their preponderancethe futures looking brighter for Utahs roads. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The city won't pay up. Temps might be below freezing, but conditions are still right for potholes to pop up again. WRIC-TV, July 20, 2021, Richmond's little-known pothole claims policy makes getting damages covered difficult KMTV, Aug. 13, 2019, Most Common Reason City of Omaha is Denying Pothole Claims The street will close Sunday for an asphalt overlay from West Center Road to Pacific Street. Pothole damage? The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) is among the few road and bridge agencies that must maintain what is largely a rural road network. The city paid out on 56 such claims, for a total of $24,366, in the fiscal year ending June 30. - Pothole complaints: 2.7 for every 1,000 km of road. People may remember Jim Champion, known around Omaha as The Auto Guy from WOWT a few years ago. On Jan. 20, 2022, six city trade unions authorized a strike after contract negotiations with the city stalled. When you consider the total number of drivers in the United States, that few hundred dollars per driver tally up to $141 billion overall. State and local governments are responsible for road maintenance and can set their own policies for if and how they reimburse drivers for pothole damage. What are we doing wrong with our streets, highways and trails? 8News found a little-known pothole policy that can make getting your money back a long shot. After receiving those complaints, Sherrets said the city has a duty to fix a pothole. Read our, Tips for City, County, or State Pothole Damage Reimbursement. Since about Feb. 13, Mergens said she damaged three tires on her Ford Fiesta from three different potholes around Omaha one around Farnam Street and Happy Hollow Boulevard, the next on a turning ramp going from Millard Avenue to L Street, the third east of Benson around the Northwest Radial. The city said that report didnt count, because the caller who reported the pothole said it was in the eastbound lane and Petersons incident happened in the westbound lane. Bloom responded, We have tried to be very cooperative with your questions. The Ohio Department of Transportation oversees all of the state and federal routes throughout the state. The Nebraska Department of Transportation has a maintenance force in excess of 600 people statewide dedicated to patching potholes on intersta, Heated asphalt patches that stay in place better than most winter patch jobs are coming sooner than typically happens, she said. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Many states require you to provide proof that the road commission knew of the pothole for 30 days or more and did nothing to repair it. The Official Twitter of The Omaha News. Historically, the City of Omaha has not paid claims for vehicle damage, as allowed by the Political Subdivisions Tort Claims Act, according to a city news release. Did you guys know if you hit a pothole and it caused damage to your vehicle, you can go down to city hall and file a complaint and show them the damages of your vehicle and they will pay to fix your vehicle since its a city issue! Kathy Hochul has declared war on potholes, as a means of trying to reach New Yorkers where they are hurting, promising to devote $1 billion to the problem. Randy Seffron, behind, and John Helwig with the City of La Vista, drop hot asphalt into potholes on 84th Street. Denver7 filed an open records request for claims of pothole damage filed against the City of Denver in spring 2021. changed due to the pandemic? The city needs to step up, she said. How Long After an Accident Can You File a Claim? When it comes to potholes, Idaho has the advantage of a low population density. As potholes proliferate and city hires outside help, less of that help arrives than the city expected. After he pulled into a nearby parking lot, he could see two blown passenger-side tires. Get two or three repair estimates. Jeff Robb dives into data for The World-Herald. Should I Pay For an At-Fault Claim Myself? Then, the city must have a certain number of business days to determine whether it is liable. He felt his car driving differently. Within a few hours of contacting the city, the pothole was filled in and [I] got my tire fixed, Janine said. The City of Omaha does honor pothole damage claims -- the process, though, can be confusing.