ByLearn How to Report a Pothole and Claim for Damage
As a taxpayer, you pay for our country's road construction and maintenance. You expect them to have solid road surfaces that are traversable by street- legal vehicles, and maintained in a way that keeps them safe.
When the inevitable pothole arises, road maintenance crews from the city or state are supposed to fix it. They typically do this as soon as possible in order to avoid accidents, but there is some lag time. If you find that pothole before it is repaired, you could suffer damage.
It is important to know how to and claim for damage in order to get compensation for your vehicle repair.
Unless you are already working in the road division of your public works department, you probably don't know what to do following a pothole incident. You might search the internet for solutions only to find yourself on a goose chase with no real answers.
DoNot Pay can help you notify your city and submit a claim for damages in order to get you the compensation you deserve. It can also help with other complaints you want to address with your local government such as:
- traffic light concerns (malfunctions or other complaints)
- streetlight concerns
- illegal dumping
- parking violations (including handicap parking violations)
- graffiti
- rats or other vermin
If you suffer damage because your local government doesn't carry out its duties, you shouldn't have to pay for it! DoNotPay makes it easy to figure out how to get compensated for your losses.
How to Report a Pothole Issue to the City
Your local state, county, or city government is responsible for maintaining the roads where you drive. Because freeways are paved and maintained more frequently than city or county roads, most people find themselves reporting potholes to their city government.
In the typical municipality, road work is handled by a road or traffic division. This is part of public works.
Reporting a pothole issue by phone is a challenge. You have to navigate the city's phone system, which are designed to prevent contact with an actual person. Then, you have to reach someone who knows how to report a pothole.
Unfortunately, many people don't know they can get compensation for damage caused by a pothole. That means that public works staff may be unfamiliar with the process as well.
Almost all public works agencies have websites, and they may offer a link to a claim form, if you can find it. The trouble with reporting potholes is finding the correct form and contact point.
Injured as a Result of a Pothole in Your City? Sue the City for Compensation.
If your city refuses to compensate you for damages without a lawsuit, you can sue the city for compensation. With DoNotPay, it is easy to file a suit in small claims court .
A lawsuit generated from is a lawsuit of negligence. The city had a duty to maintain the roads, and the damage was caused by a breach of that duty. Compensation for damage is how the court delivers justice.
To call it negligence, it requires to meet these three conditions. They are:
- A duty to act
- A breach of that duty
- The breach of duty was the cause of harm/loss
An attorney can evaluate your evidence and determine if your incident contains the elements necessary for a negligence lawsuit.
How Can I Gather Evidence to Prove My Damage Claim?
In order to have a successful damage claim, you will have to prove that your damage was a direct result of the unrepaired pothole. This involves some evidence collection such as photos, eyewitnesses, and any paperwork that proves your vehicle was well-maintained before it found the pothole.
| Pictorial testimony | Photographic evidence typically tells the story of the pothole. Common pothole damages include:
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| Mechanic testimony | The unseen damage may be in your suspension, and this damage may require the expert testimony of a mechanic. Not everything is visible when you are dealing with vehicle damage. |
| Eyewitnesses testimony | Eyewitness testimony is also very possible, especially in the case of large potholes. If there was enough force to crack your wheel or cause a flat, someone walking on the sidewalk. |
| Surveillance cameras | You can also check surveillance cameras near the place of the incident. |
Every bit of evidence you can collect for a small claims case helps to ensure a successful verdict and compensation for your financial losses.
Why Use DoNotPay to Report a Pothole and Claim for Damage?
The people who don't report potholes and claim for damage usually don't take action because of the time they will waste trying to figure out the process. That is why DoNotPay can help.
If you want to file a city repair report but don't know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in 6 easy steps:
- Go to the City Repairs product on DoNotPay.
- Choose one of the following options: 1) Report a maintenance issue to the city, or 2)Sue the city for compensation
- If you want to report an issue, choose which problem you would like to report (pothole, broken lights, etc.) and tell us more about when you first noticed the issue.
- If you want to request compensation, tell us whether you 1) suffered a personal injury, or 2) suffered from property damage. Then tell us more about the incident date, where it took place, and any expenses you have already paid. Include the names of witnesses if applicable
- Upload supporting documents and other evidence files.
- Enter the amount you want to be compensated in damages and verify your e-signature.
DoNotPay will make sure that the claim gets to the right location, and all you have to do is wait for a response. You don't have to get the runaround from the public works department. Instead, you can fill out your information and let DoNotPay handle the rest.
What Else Can DoNotPay Do?
DoNotPay can help with a variety of otherwise time-consuming tasks. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to send forms to the right places without waiting on hold and to navigate the internet with the power of its algorithms. Every task is made easier because of its powerful computational skills.
Sign up for DoNotPay to get help filing an insurance claim, or use it to track down a copy of your birth certificate. There are countless ways in which DoNotPay can help to make your life easier.