Calgary drivers say pothole that caused damage was reported month before
Posted Jun 8, 2018 12:04 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Jason Thibert was driving along Macleod Trail South past the Anderson Drive exit on April 9 when he went over a pothole, damaging his wheels and suspension.
As he was taking video of other cars going over the hazard, he met another driver named Ronan Chen.
“I had called that in a month before,” Chen told 660 NEWS. “They did nothing.”
Chen and Thibert exchanged contact information, and for the last two months, Thibert has been fighting the City over whether it should cover the damage to his vehicle.
“It’s a waiting game, there’s no limit on how long the City can have you waiting on, and I don’t know what else to do,” he said.
The City doesn’t comment on individual claims but said in an email that it does not usually cover pothole damage.
However, the City will cover damage if certain criteria are met, specifically if a pothole was reported and that if the City neglected to address it.
Chen made his initial report on March 8, and when Thibert learned about that incident, he said a 311 operator confirmed to him they had received it and both say there’s no indication it was fixed.
Thibert said he was initially told his claim would be processed and an email from a claims representative advised him that third-party liability claims take time to investigate.
But when he had a follow-up conversation with the adjuster, Thibert said he was asked if he had put through the request.
“And I said ‘well no, you told me not to because it would take longer,'” he said, adding many calls for updates went unanswered.
“I’m not getting no replies back, and for a city to do that, in a claims department, it’s not right at all.”
Late last month, the City reported roughly 5,000 potholes so far this year, including duplicate reports of the same one.
“Given the weather conditions this year, The City is doing everything it can to address the potholes within a reasonable time, with the resources that we have,” the City said in a statement.
Thibert recently spoke to a claims supervisor and said he hopes to get a resolution to the situation next week.
(Images via Jason Thibert)
