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As winter weather fades in Omaha, drivers are facing costly car repairs caused by potholes, with mechanics warning about the damage these road hazards can inflict.Vincent Blakes was driving down Fort Street near 120th when he ran over a pothole Wednesday night. He says the damage it caused to his car will cost an estimated $700 to repair.”There was another deeper pothole to the right, and it hit my tire, and it just deflated,” Blake said. He filed a claim with the City of Omaha, reported the pothole to be filled, then took his tire in to get a spare. But the problems didn’t end there.”My tire just kept deflating, and I took it in to get it checked on. They told me that the rim is messed up, that they called me about $700 to get that fixed and get the tire replaced again,” Blake said.The city of Omaha will consider paying claims only if a pothole has been previously reported and not yet repaired. Blake said the pothole he hit has since been patched, but he is still waiting to hear if the city will cover the cost of his car repairs.Regardless, he said he’s not the only one facing the problem. “It was literally car after car after car just kept pulling in because they had a flat tire or messed up rim, call a tow company or whatnot,” Blake said.Mechanics advise drivers to slow down ahead of potholes to avoid further damage, ahead of a busy season for pothole repairs.”It never stops. It doesn’t matter. The city can’t get them fast enough from one town to the next,” Mike, a mechanic with Midwest Tire Auto Repair, said.The issues can quickly add up in repair costs, he explains.”We see a lot of broken wheels, bent wheels, you see a lot of bent struts, bent control arms,” Mike said. “That can go anywhere from $500 to $2,000 and $3,000, depending on damage. And if they keep driving on it.”Blakes said he has to keep driving on his tire and fill it with air each day, as he waits to hear back on his claim.”I got no choice. I got to work still, I got to pay my bills,” Blake said.To report a pothole for the city of Omaha to fill, residents can call 402-444-4919.
As winter weather fades in Omaha, drivers are facing costly car repairs caused by potholes, with mechanics warning about the damage these road hazards can inflict.
Vincent Blakes was driving down Fort Street near 120th when he ran over a pothole Wednesday night. He says the damage it caused to his car will cost an estimated $700 to repair.
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“There was another deeper pothole to the right, and it hit my tire, and it just deflated,” Blake said.
He filed a claim with the City of Omaha, reported the pothole to be filled, then took his tire in to get a spare. But the problems didn’t end there.
“My tire just kept deflating, and I took it in to get it checked on. They told me that the rim is messed up, that they called me about $700 to get that fixed and get the tire replaced again,” Blake said.
The city of Omaha will consider paying claims only if a pothole has been previously reported and not yet repaired. Blake said the pothole he hit has since been patched, but he is still waiting to hear if the city will cover the cost of his car repairs.
Regardless, he said he’s not the only one facing the problem.
“It was literally car after car after car just kept pulling in because they had a flat tire or messed up rim, call a tow company or whatnot,” Blake said.
Mechanics advise drivers to slow down ahead of potholes to avoid further damage, ahead of a busy season for pothole repairs.
“It never stops. It doesn’t matter. The city can’t get them fast enough from one town to the next,” Mike, a mechanic with Midwest Tire Auto Repair, said.
The issues can quickly add up in repair costs, he explains.
“We see a lot of broken wheels, bent wheels, you see a lot of bent struts, bent control arms,” Mike said. “That can go anywhere from $500 to $2,000 and $3,000, depending on damage. And if they keep driving on it.”
Blakes said he has to keep driving on his tire and fill it with air each day, as he waits to hear back on his claim.
“I got no choice. I got to work still, I got to pay my bills,” Blake said.
To report a pothole for the city of Omaha to fill, residents can call 402-444-4919.
