The Nashville Pothole Crisis of 2015 Continues to Cause Accidents and Costly Repairs
Three-quarters of the way through March, despite the tireless and dangerous work road crews are doing to try to repair potholes with as little hindrance to traffic as possible; we are still facing plenty of Mother Nature’s insidious menaces on the road.
After Channel 4 WSMV covered the tragic March 8 death of a local man on Briley Parkway, 55 year old John Lasalle, a motorcyclist who hit one of these giant potholes, causing a chain reaction that led to his passing, drivers have been even more cautious of pothole dangers that have yet to be repaired. Even, after this multi-vehicle crash TDOT crews have not been able to get to all of the deep crevasses on Briley, let alone the other 1500 miles of highways and bi-ways in the county.
One can only imagine that its must be a good time to be a mechanic as the cost of vehicle repairs from all these hellacious holes can quickly add into the thousands. Bent rims, flat tires, suspension and alignment issues and even some undercarriage frame support problems have Nashville drivers up in arms with the Tennessee Department of Treasury, who is handling the claims to the state made by drivers who are now in the hole because of these high dollar repairs.
Click here to view or download the initial claim form, but be ready for an exercise in patience. After you have filed a claim in writing you must obtain two separate estimates as proof of repair costs. The state can then take up to 90 days to approve or deny your claim for vehicle damages. If denied, you can appeal. However, you may be in for an uphill battle. If order to make the state pay for your damages you have to prove that the pothole that caused your car’s damage was reported and TDOT took a more than “reasonable” period of time to fix it before you hit it and incurred said damages.
Tennessee is not accustomed to such extreme weather conditions and the problems they cause for drivers. This time of year asphalt is in short supply therefore orders and deliveries are taking longer and so then are TDOT’s abilities to address each and every pothole reported. So even though TDOT may add it to their queue of dangerous depressions it may not be fixed for some time.
The most important thing you can do is report all the potholes you see. This way you are not only protecting yourself, you could be saving someone else’s life too. Alert TDOT to potholes via email at [email protected] or by phone at 1-877-SmartWay.
If you have suffered serious injuries because your vehicle hit a pothole or if were part of a wreck that occurred because of a pothole, contact us immediately; especially if you know that the pothole in question has been reported prior to your wreck. You may be able to recover damages for your medical bills, pain and suffering and unexpected expenses but you need an experienced auto wreck and personal injury attorney on your side that knows their way around a courtroom. You need some one in your corner going up a against a big opponent like the State of Tennessee. You need Rocky Law Firm. We fight for you.