CINCINNATI — One couple thinks the City of Cincinnati is foul for the way public services handled damage caused by a pothole in Walnut Hills. Ten months after the hole bent three wheels on their van, Fred Jones Jr. and Tara Johnson said the city will not pay because crews fixed the problem weeks later.
The couple said they were driving on Gilbert Avenue near Blair Avenue in February when water-filled potholes swallowed three wheels of their 2000 Chevrolet Astro.
The reason the Cincinnati Department of Public Services refused to pay his repair bill hurts more than the wreck, Jones said.
"They hurried up and threw something in (the hole)," he said. "Oh we fixed it now, y'all can go ahead on now."
DPS crews patched the hole two weeks after Jones wrecked, according to city records. He filed a claim for reimbursement, sending photos and police reports/notes as requested too. Jones' wife, Tara Johnson, called for updates in May, August and September, according to city records. Johnson warned DPS that the pothole fix seemed to be collapsing too. Still, the couple claims they received no response until Nov. 30.
"They kept putting us on the back burner," Johnson said.
DPS denied the couple's claim and said crews "repaired" the pothole "within legal time limits," according to city records. The city closed the case without paying a dime to Jones or Johnson.
A city spokesperson told WCPO 9 News the city pothole reimbursement policy gives DPS a "reasonable amount of time" to fix such problems before the city becomes liable.
"I feel let down because I live in the City of Cincinnati and pay taxes and all that," Jones said. "I feel like if I hit their parking meter (with my car) I (would have) to pay for that. Right is right. If it was just a little bitty 'old (pothole) I can understand. But this was a ditch. I had to buy another car instead of buying the parts for my car because it costs more to buy the parts than it is to buy the car. I ain't trying to keep buying cars because of potholes."
So, he and Johnson warned other drivers to steer clear of potholes in the city or potentially get stuck with an expensive bill.
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