2 Calgary drivers want city to pay for vehicle damage caused by pothole

Two Calgary drivers are asking the city for compensation after hitting a pothole in the southeast.

Jason Thibert said he was driving south on MacLeod Trail SE on April 9 when he hit a massive pothole.

“It was bigger than the average pothole… this one here was three to four feet long, and it was about a foot-and-a-half wide,” Thibert said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It was bigger than the average pothole… this one here was three to four feet long, and it was about a foot-and-a-half wide," Thibert said.

Thibert said his BMW X5 hit the hole, causing extensive damage to his vehicle.

“We were in rush hour traffic and then we hit it. All of a sudden the truck just slammed hard, the mirror fell off the windshield and next thing you know, my steering wheel is just shaking,” he said.

He went out to record the incident and take pictures and video of the hole to send to the City of Calgary.

Thibert said that’s when he captured a Ford Fusion drive into the pothole, and blow his tire.

“I saw a red Ford Fusion hit the hole and his rim and hubcap tire just exploded,” Thibert recalled.

The driver of the car, Ronen Chen, wasn’t hurt. He said he reported the same pothole to the city a month before.

Despite a repair bill of $500, Chen said he was more worried about people being severely injured.

“I may have damage to my car but people’s lives may be lost… someone could’ve died in there,” Chen said.

According to Chen, the city said they were unable to repair it due to changing weather temperatures. The city has not confirmed that fact to Global News.

Chen said weeks later, he called 911 about the pothole and according to Chen, it was fixed almost immediately.

“I told them people may get hurt. The pothole is huge,” he said. “The same night, or the night after, they fixed it.”

Both Chen and Thibert have filed claims with the city.

Thibert said his SUV will need new rims and a suspension realignment, which he said may cost about $5,000 to $6,000.

Officials said they can’t talk about individual claims for confidentiality reasons.

In a statement, the City of Calgary said: “generally, pothole claims are not covered by the city.”

“For the city to be responsible, we must be aware of the pothole and we did not take reasonable steps to repair the pothole with the resources that are in place,” the statement read.

Thibert said he is still waiting to hear from the city about the next steps in his claim.