Saturday, December 26, 2009

Woman Wants Taxpayers to Pay Repair Bills

This is stupid.

A damage claim has been filed against the city of West Bend after Katie Plavec said she blew out two tires on the right side of her car after hitting pedestrian bump-outs on Veterans Avenue.

   The accident happened on Tuesday, Nov. 17, within 24 hours of the reconstructed road’s re-opening.

   In her claim, Plavec said she was unfamiliar with the road and, because it was dark, she was driving 5 mph below the 25 mph limit.

   “The pedestrian safety zone, located on the right side of the street was not lit properly and not adequately marked and as I came around the corner I could not see it,” she said. “The right side wheels of the Ford Escort I was driving struck the curb of the pedestrian safety zone jutting out toward the road on the east side of the street.”

   Both passenger-side tires were blown out and both rims were severely damaged and needed to be repaired, she said in the claim.

   While waiting for a police officer to respond, Plavec said in the claim that she say five to eight other cars strike the curb in about the same spot on the east and west sides of the road.

   “I had to have my Ford Escort towed home and the next day it had to be towed again to West Bend Tire for repairs,” she said in the claim. “The pedestrian safety zone was not adequately marked and there was not adequate lighting available for the street. I strongly believe that this collision was caused due to the poor construction lighting as well as markings on Veterans Avenue.”

   Plavec, who lives on Fair Street, said the accident caused her to miss a vacation and she submitted bills to the city totaling $572.97 in damage and towing costs.

She gets to be reimbursed by the taxpayers because she can’t drive?  People drive on unfamiliar roads all the time and manage to stay between the curbs.  I’ve driven through that intersection a dozen times or more since it was reopened and didn’t think there was anything challenging about it. 

I also don’t buy that she saw that many cars hit the same curb while waiting for the police.  That intersection is in the middle of town.  I’ll bet it took less than 10 minutes for an officer to respond.  She’s telling us that in that span of time, 5 to 8 cars managed to do the same thing she did?  My BS meter is spiking. 

Via Judy Steffes’ column.

(8) Comments
Posted by Owen at 0913 hrs
Law + Politics + Politics - Wisconsin + Technology

  1. A Ford Escort can’t be worth much more than $572.97 total, can it?

    Posted by folkbum on December 26, 2009 at 1202 hrs


  2. I was thinking the same thing.  For two tow jobs, two tires, and some rim repair, it seems steep.

    Posted by Owen on December 26, 2009 at 1205 hrs


  3. She should be fined for inattentive driving, and her driving “privileges” suspended for a year. But in today’s “no one is responsible” politically correct atmosphere she will most likely get what she wants. After all, are not the public coffers always full, even when empty?

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on December 26, 2009 at 1325 hrs


  4. Not that I drive through there, but if it is a pedestrian zone there are probably signs as well.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on December 26, 2009 at 1522 hrs


  5. She should be cited for driving a Ford Escort.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on December 26, 2009 at 1731 hrs


  6. This does seem silly to me, however…  I can’t tell you how often I’m angered by signage, road paint and so forth that isn’t visible until it’s too late to do what you need to do whether it’s slow down or change lanes or what.  There’s a remarkable number of intersections with absolutely no signage indicating what street you’re crossing.  None at all.  Even at major intersections with lights and everything.  What’s UP with that?

    Posted by scott on December 27, 2009 at 1506 hrs


  7. I think there’s an oversaturation of signage.  For example, do I really need a big blue sign with the Rideshare 800 number on it while I’m barreling down the interstate?  Am I seriously going to write down the number?  If I need to Rideshare, can’t I look it up? 

    Or there’s a sign here in WB on eastbound HWY 33 and 18th.  While sitting at the stop light, there’s a sign that tells you that there’s a median.  Not only has the road had a median for the entire approach to the intersection, but I don’t think that the sign adds much information to the massive pole and curb. 

    With all of the stupid signs, sometimes the important ones get lost in the mix.

    Posted by Owen on December 27, 2009 at 1524 hrs


  8. Agreed—but it’s alarming how often the exact ones you want aren’t there at all.

    Posted by scott on December 27, 2009 at 1530 hrs


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