Roughly 44 million drivers are impacted by potholes each year nationwide, and, in Ohio, drivers are able to file a claim against the government entity responsible for that road.
Ohio drivers can submit a claim to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) if their vehicle is damaged by a pothole on a state roadway.
One bump in the road could lead to an expensive repair bill, with some repairs costing upwards of $400.
While reimbursement is not guaranteed, ODOT encourages drivers to notify them of potential roadway hazards.
Mahoning County Engineer Pat Ginetti previously told 21 News that winter coming to an end means there are more roads to look out for for paving crews.
“Typically, those roads that are going to get paved this year or are scheduled for a later date, we pretty much know those are going to be the targets, so we have people constantly driving trying to monitor the conditions and dispatch crews accordingly,” Ginetti said.
He says the county knows ahead of time what roads will be worse than others based on their paving program.
ODOT’s website lets Ohio drivers know that if they have experienced damage to their vehicle on a state system roadway as a result of a pothole or other roadway defects, they can submit a claim using its online “Defects and Damage” reporting form.
The site also says that, once submitted, ODOT will provide them with information on where and how to file a claim for possible reimbursement based on the location where the claim occurred and the claim type.
RELATED COVERAGE:
Potholes plaguing Valley drivers
Download the WFMJ app for your Apple or Android smartphone or tablet to get our push alerts as news happens.