Pothole damage claims may not be paid, Sudbury official says

Morning North8:03When a pothole damages your car

Pothole season is back and as the potholes open up, there's a risk of damage to your car. We spoke with Rob Walz, Co-ordinator of Insurance and Risk Management for Greater Sudbury, about potholes and what can be done if your car gets damaged.

It is early days yet, but those pesky potholes are starting to appear in our roads and in Sudbury, and the forecast predicts a spring rush of claims to the city about damaged tires and broken springs.

Drivers zoom through the puddles unaware of the depth of the holes below that could throw their steering out of alignment, flatten a tire or bend a rim.

Pedestrian Suzanne Leclair said she has to duck to avoid the wave of slush as cars speed by.

Theres potholes that cars are going to get lost in, she said.You could lose a tire the front end could break. Its dangerous.

See a pothole? Report it

The co-ordinator of insurance and risk management for the City of Greater Sudbury said potholes are formed when there are frequent freezing and thawing cycles.

We would expect that there would be more potholes this season than prior seasons, Rob Walz said.

He said anyone who sees a pothole should call the city at 311 and report it so city crews can fix it.

As for those who believe their vehicle has been damaged by a pothole, Walz said they should visit the city website for a claim form, however, he said its not often the city is found to be in the wrong.

We find the majority of the time, the claims are not paid because our city crews have done a good job and gone out and fixed it upon being notified of it, he said.

Walz said insurance adjusters will determine whether the city responded quickly enough to fix the pothole, and make decisions about compensation from there.

He said last year, there were about 100 claims andthat is considered quite a lot.

Walz added he doesnt know how many claims were successful, but said it would be a fraction of that amount.