Some advice please - on Councils

Howdy Forum - am turning to you all to see if anyone has had a similar experience to myself ....

riding home from work yesterday i clattered down and back up the other side of gap in the road where a man-hole cover is about 2" lower that the main carriage way

i was lent over at the time so 1) its a minor miracle that i stayed on the island and 2) the suspension didn't soak up the bump - the wheel rims did ...

and i now have a HUGE flat spot on the front and the back wheel

basically i can't help feeling a bit hard done by as this was clearly a rather dangerous hole in the road - one that has so far cost me £380 for a new front and rear wheel



has anyone had any joy in getting money out of a council to compensate them for such an incident - any advise give would be appreciated

thanks all

Mike

[tigersaw]

My mate hit a kerbstone in his 4x4 that was sticking out a lot once. Sent pictures and damage report to west sussex council. However their getout was that they were previously unaware of the problem so not liable.

Did you take photos of the road and damage?

Originally Posted by tigersaw

My mate hit a kerbstone in his 4x4 that was sticking out a lot once. Sent pictures and damage report to west sussex council. However their getout was that they were previously unaware of the problem so not liable.

Thats pants.. they have a duty to maintain the road

"Im sorry but we didnt know about that problem.. but now that we do, if it happens again we're liable"

Wheres the sense?

[Paul the 6th]

about 5-6 years ago my brother managed to smash the steering rack on his old escort because on road in kirklees (a west yorkshire council) had such bad pot holes. I think he was travelling quite fast at the time but I think managed to push it far enough to the point where they paid out and repaired the road.

Could be worth speaking to someone like MAG or the BMF to find out what the deal is, both in terms of compensating you for the damage to your vehicle but also, what will happen to the council if someone was injured or killed because the roads were in such disrepair and they hadn't done anything about it - even though they'd received complaints?

If they are not already aware of the problem you can not claim against them.

[Paul the 6th]

i'll tell them I nearly came off last week. Give it half an hour then ring them and tell them you've had your experience with the same bit of road maybe?

Originally Posted by Dangerous Dave

If they are not already aware of the problem you can not claim against them.

Not true, this is to fob off claims. They are the Highway Authority and therefore have a duty to inspect said highways on a regular basis. The problem comes from showing whether or not it is reasonable for them not to have known about it.

If you have legal expenses cover/helpline on your insurance it may be worth asking their advice on whether and how to claim? just a thought?