A Chicago woman says the city is liable for the damage to her car caused by a destructive pothole. The city, however, continues to deny her claim, despite a mountain of evidence.
Emily Mensching was traveling on West Peterson when her car began shaking and she thought she blew a tire. It turned out, however, that the pothole popped two of her tires and cracked the rims on her wheels. The damage resulted in more than $1,400 in repairs.
The day after the incident, Mensching returned to the scene to photograph the pothole. She noticed a number of hubcaps near the pothole.
Mensching filed a 311 report with the city, and discovered she was not the first to notify the city about the dangerous pothole. Other people had filed similar reports about suffering property damage to their cars as well.
Employees at the dealership where she had her vehicle fixed even noted seeing two damaged vehicles in the same day caused by the same pothole.
All of the evidence pointed to the fact that the city knew about the damages caused by the pothole, but did nothing to repair it. Because of this, Mensching decided to file a claim with the city to recover the costs for the damages to her vehicle.
The city rejected her claim and told her an on-site assessment by workers revealed that she had been speeding at the time of the incident. Mensching, however, says she never received a speeding ticket. She is currently considering suing the city in small claims court to recover the damages.
According to Chicago’s committee on finance, the city paid $812,500 to resolve 4,081 claims in 2015 related to pothole damage. A recent report from AAA reveals that potholes cost American drivers an estimated $3 billion every year.
Poorly Maintained Roads
Chicago’s poorly maintained roads have been a point of contention for some time. In 2015, GWC Injury Lawyers filed lawsuits about dangerous road conditions on behalf of two victims who suffered as a result of a pothole. One man died when his motorcycle hit a deep pothole and a bicyclist was seriously injured after she flew over her handlebars due to dangerous road conditions.
If you have been injured, lost a loved one or suffered damage to your vehicle as a result of a pothole or other condition caused by poorly maintained roads in Chicago, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact our Chicago auto accident attorneys immediately to discuss your legal options.
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