It sure didn ’ t feel that way when we hit a pothole from hell on Hwy 5 in Stockton one late rainy Saturday night a few weeks ago . The sudden impact made us think we hit a wall . The car began to freefall into an abyss of darkness . We were leaving civilization behind . My not-so-cheap run-flat tire on the driver front side blew out so hard I thought I lost the rim too . Warning lights , smoke , and alarm bells emanated from the cockpit . Air masks deployed . Both the pilot and co-pilot went into Blind Side protective mode , thinking the airbags were going to burst and knock us silly . Seconds later , I made a Top Gun-like maneuver to get off the freeway while keeping the crew and cargo safe and making it into a parking lot right next to an America ’ s Tire Center that was closed til Monday . A basic-necessity-shopping-spree ensued , and an unexpected hotel stay was secured so we could find a new tire the next morning . There we were , an extra day out of our lives to deal with getting home , all in the middle of an atmospheric river event that was promoted to be the end of the world .
It was just a three-hour tour … a three-hour tour . My fault , I hit the pothole — while driving like a drunk to avoid other potholes . On second thought , no . It ’ s not my fault . Since when is hitting a pothole my fault ? They . Should not . Exist .
At least our $. 77 per gallon in fuel taxes help fund the Caltrans Pothole Recovery Fund . Yes , this is an actual thing . And yes , I am filing a claim . Apparently the “ brilliant ones ” in charge have determined its cheaper to have a fund nobody knows about than to repair the roads . Another example of planning at a whole ‘ nother level .
Need to file a claim ? Caltrans is authorized to settle claims of $ 12,500 or less . There is no filing fee . Start here : https :// dot . ca . gov / online-services / submit-damage-claim
According to the Caltrans website , you must file the claim within 1 year by sending the completed and signed original form with your supporting documents to the appropriate Caltrans District Claims Office . To determine the proper place to file your form , you must know the county in which your incident occurred . Each county is covered by a specific District Claims Office .
And there you go our tax dollars at work . As our roads continue to get worse and maintenance continues to , well , not happen , I hope this information can help you if you ever need to file a claim .
Pothole fun facts :
According to KGO 7 ABC " Claims filed by Bay Area drivers with Caltrans for damage to vehicles caused by potholes and other road conditions were approved less than 4 % of the time between 2020 and mid-2023 , according to data obtained and analyzed by the ABC7 data journalism team . During that time period , 177 Bay Area claims under $ 10,000 were approved and 4,803 were denied . For the first half of 2023 , less than 1 % of claims have been approved so far , although many are still pending ." Read the story here : https :// abc7news . com / bay-area-potholes-caltrans-claims-cardamages / 14359988 /
How Potholes form : Alan Brubaker , P . E ., P . S . of Summit County Engineer describes pothole formation as the expansion and contraction of ground water once it has entered into the ground under the pavement . When water freezes , it expands . Read more on potholes on the Summit County Engineer website : https :// www . summitengineer . net / faqs / Howdo-potholes-form .
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