AVON, CT (WFSB) — Potholes are common this time of the year, but a Bristol man is suing a local town after one pothole caused more than $1,500 worth of damage.
Pictures shown by Bob Kriwitsky show the car with a flat front tire and a bent rim.
It was his daughter who was driving the car on Nod Road in Avon when she hit the pothole in front of the Blue Fox Golf Course around 7 p.m.
“Due to the dark area and possibility of getting hurt, she called police and told them ‘I need someone to come out here’,” Kriwitsky said.
Police officers responded, and apparently had been to that same spot five times in two hours.
Police reports obtained by Channel 3 prove that five drivers hit the pothole between 7 and 9 p.m. the same night.
“There’s really no excuse for five people getting a flat tire from the same pothole in the course of two hours when a police officer was there,” Kriwitsky said.
It turns out, the pothole caused more damage than they thought.
“It ended up resulting in two wheels and four tires having to be replaced at a cost of out of pocket $1,550,” Kriwitsky said.
The potholes have since been patched up in that area, but Kriwitsky said after town officials denied his case at first, he decided to take the issue to court.
The lawsuit is in small claims court, and also lists two Avon police officers, who Kriwitsky said he feels neglected to call the public works department.
“They should have remedied it or taken the extra precautions to prevent another further accident, injury or further damage to a vehicle,” Kriwitsky said.
However, in the police reports it states that public works was notified and responded to repair the pothole.
Kriwitsky said he’s just looking to get reimbursed, nothing more.
“I don’t feel we should have to foot the bill on something that was negligence or elected duty, and at least protecting the area,” Kriwitsky said.
In all five cases, nobody was hurt.
A court date is scheduled for next week.
The attorney representing the town said he could not comment because the case is ongoing.
