KELOWNA — You’ve likely been jolted by one before and chances are you will be again. Pothole season has come early in the Okanagan, and while maintenance crews work to patch them up, more pop up just as quickly.
Tuesday night two people damaged their cars mere minutes apart on the same pothole on Highway 97 between Pandosy Street and Ellis Street in Kelowna.
“I knew as soon as I hit it, something was wrong,” says Dave Gramlich. “The air just blasted out of there. It took a matter of a minute and the tire was totally flat.”
Just 20 minutes before, Irena Bauman hit the same pothole. “There was a fellow behind me who had pulled in to check on me,” she says. “He said I saw your tire explode and all this dust shoot up. It looked like something from a movie, your vehicle just went up and popped up over top of it.”
Bauman pulled off the highway to assess the damage. Gramlich did the same.
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The Ministry of Transportation is responsible for filling potholes on highways. Just a few hours after the incidents, that pothole was filled, but no one is able to confirm how long it had been there.
The Ministry says holes on highways are filled within 24 hours of crews being alerted to them.
Spokesperson Steve Sirett says potholes are common every year, but this year the season’s started early.
“Typically it’s not until spring when the weather gets warmer, but we’ve got a bit of a warming trend right now so that’s why the issues are arising,” says Sirett.
Gramlich and Bauman now say they’re taking it one step further. They plan to bring a joint complaint forward to the Ministry in hopes of getting the government to pay for the damages to their car.
“As far as I’m concerned its complete negligence,” says Bauman. “That should not have been there it’s an incredibly deep pot hole….a huge safety concern. If I had my two kids with me I would have been livid.”
Have your car fallen victim to this pothole? Contact okanagan@globalnews.ca to be put in touch with Bauman and Gramlich.
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