DRIVERS have been forced to call tow trucks after a pothole caused serious damage to their vehicles, with one describing it as like an explosion from nowhere.
And now many are seeking reimbursement from the state’s transportation authorities.
When Kyle Murray and his wife were coming home after a camping trip in Half Moon Bay, California, he was expecting traffic on the highway, but not to have to call a tow truck after hitting a pothole.
“It was just, ‘Boom, boom.’ And then we were like, ‘We need to get over (to the shoulder),'” Murray told SanFrancisco CBS affiliate KPIX-TV.
“We got over as safely as possible and we called AAA.”
The pothole was so large, that his left front and rear tire was popped and his wheels were bent and needed replacing.
The cost of replacing the wheels and tires was not an expense that Murray expected to pay, especially considering the high taxes residents pay for road maintenance.
“Both of us have jobs,” he said.
“We only have one car right now. And so, I need to get it fixed as soon as possible so we can continue to go to our work.”
The Murrays aren’t the only residents to need a tow truck after coming face-to-face with the potholes along the same stretch of highway in Redwood City.
Demetrius Beauchamp was another victim of a massive pothole that caused severe damage to his pickup truck.
“When I hit the pothole or whatever it was it was huge,” he said as his truck was lifted onto a tow truck.
“It felt like the whole car jumped off the ground.”
He reiterated that the collision could have ended poorly for drivers close to him if he hadn’t reacted quickly.
“It really, like, shook the car,” he said.
“If there was someone next to me, I might have hit them because I was in both lanes by the time I got control of the car again.”
Both drivers indicated that because of the expensive damage that was done to their vehicles due to the city’s neglect of maintenance to the roads, they both said they were seeking compensation from CalTrans.
CalTrans is the state’s transportation agency that is responsible for road maintenance.
A claim can be filed through their website as long as claims are $12,500 or less, though the outlet stated it’s a very slow and often sticky process.
