Pothole problems? Whose liable for popped tires and dented rims

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Colorado Springs residents reached out to the KRDO13 Road Warrior about a "massive" pothole on Barnes Road.

Many tell KRDO13 that they either popped their tires or dented their rims. One woman tells KRDO13 she filed a report with the city about multiple potholes on eastbound Barnes Road, east of the Austin Bluffs Parkway intersection.

Lex Lopez says she dented two of her car's rims driving over the pothole, which she referenced as a crater.

"I pulled over up there, and both my tires were flat. I looked around at my tires for a puncture wound, and it looked like there was one, but then I looked at it after I took the tire off. Nothing. It was just the rim. Both of the rims were messed up. There was no fixing those," explained Lex Lopez.

Lopez says it was rush hour traffic, and she was unable to swerve around the pothole into the other lane.

"It sounded like I had broken a wheel, arm or axle or something like that," recounted Lopez.

She says when checking her tires, she heard the whizzing of air exiting the rubber wheels. Lopez shared her experience on social media.

"I took it to Facebook because I was like, I don't know what to do. And that's when that huge post kind of went viral with the potholes. Everyone was commenting, sharing the same experiences. I've got a couple of people who were saying that they saw me hit that, and that they actually reported it a while ago," explained Lopez.

After the incident, Lopez says commenters directed her to report the pothole to GoCOS. The city website explains that your request goes to the Public Works Operation & Maintenance Division. The city says you can also make a report by calling 719-385-ROAD (7623).

Lopez is encouraging other drivers to continue reporting potholes and making noise about the incidents.

"I am paying for this, like this, money for this. And what is this? [pointing to the newly paved pothole] I'm paying for this with the money that I work my butt off for, and that's what my hard-earned money gets," stated Lopez.

She hopes that by raising her concerns, the city will start to take a proactive approach to fixing problem potholes.

"I give it at least maybe a month until it goes back to the same thing and we're in the exact same situation again. So I mean, not my circus, not my monkeys, but I mean, you'd have fewer complaints if you actually fixed it," said Lopez.

Lopez admits that with the changing weather and general road deterioration, potholes are bound to happen. She says she just hopes they are addressed before more people's vehicles sustain damage.

We asked the city if they would be liable to pay for any damages caused by this pothole. They told us that people can file claims through the Go COS app, but they weren't able to provide specifics beyond that. 

The city told KRDO13 that it appears the hole was caused by a private contractor who dug up the road, and it was likely them who patched the pothole, but encouraged people to file the claim through the app regardless.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.