Pothole wins pothole vs. wheel

I contacted IDOT through their feedback form. Less than an hour later, I got an e-mail from a real live person saying that they mailed a claim form to me. Very cool.

Matt, after I saw this post, I got curious and started looking around for a claim procedure. I found that the City of Chicago has an online form specifically for making damage claims due to potholes. I couldn't find anything other than phone numbers to report potholes for Cook County or IDOT. I'm impressed that you got some good customer service from any branch of government. Now let's see if it goes anywhere. Please keep us posted on the outcome.

Would you have missed hitting that pothole if you hadn't been following too closely and driving too fast?

:)

I wasn't doing either of those things. For once. The problem with Willow/Palatine Road is that it's so messed up that you can't tell what's a patch and what's a hole anymore.

Dear Matthew,

I must have been driving behind you!! I hit two potholes on Willow Rd. in Northbrook, one right after another, in February. It was very rainy and dark and I did not see them, but I felt them. I thought I had driven off of a cliff! Needless to say, I ruined my rim and tire which was quite expensive. My car dealer had a huge pile of broken and flattened tires of people who had been driving in the same area of Northbrook.
I have the receipt from the car dealer, however I have no photograph of the pothole and no police report to show IDOT. Is it worth the hassle to try to file a claim? Did you get reimbursed?

I never bothered to file a claim, so I can’t tell you how difficult it might be.

I just wonder if it was the same pothole on Willow over four years after Matt hit it.