Potholes Rampant, Damage To Vehicles Adding Up
DENVER (CBS4) - Potholes seem to be plaguing streets all across the Denver metro area, and they're beginning to cause real damage to vehicles.
One example of just how bad the abuse can get is a tire completely detached from the car, and its rim split in two.
At Discount Tire in Lakewood, there's no mistake that it's pothole season.
"This is kind of a severe one where the wheel kind of split open," said Joe Aragon, Assistant Manager.
Aragon said that in the last few days they've seen a handful of drivers come in, all complaining about a pothole along nearby 6th Avenue.
Rob Givens had just bought a brand new 2015 Subaru Impreza when Monday evening he hit a massive pothole on South Wadsworth Boulevard, just north of 6th Avenue.
"I was so happy to have the car, I had to wait a week from when I bought the car to actually pick up the car because it was in shipment. Then I get the car and only have it like a week. And it gets broke," said Givens.
CDOT maintains Wadsworth Boulevard and encourages drivers to report potholes right away. A spokeswoman said crews immediately assess whether a pothole needs to be repaired on the spot or if it can be scheduled within the coming days.
"It felt like the car bottomed out, like I had significant damage. The sound right away was like flat tires like I was driving on metal," described Givens.
That dip in the road cost him three days without his car and a huge dent in his wallet -- the damage totaled $1600. "It was very depressing," Givens concluded.
He was able to get insurance to cover the bill but Givens still had to pay his $500 deductible.
CDOT stated if you suffer damage on one of their roads, go to their website, search state risk, and there you'll find the number to file a claim.
