Chargers’ Okung sidelined, dealing with blood clots
QMy daughter experienced a blowout on Interstate 580 somewhere east of Route 13. She saw the pothole in the left lane and could not swerve in time to avoid it. She had a lot of difficulties exiting the highway from the left lane to call for help despite flashers, pumping brakes, slowing down, etc. No other drivers would yield for her to move right for quite some time. Therefore she’s not sure how far back the pothole was.
We filed a claim for the tire replacement with Caltrans, did all the proper paperwork and the claim was denied because “the investigator could not find a pothole. I was invited to appeal but will this help? I believe they couldn’t find it but I also know she wasn’t sure how long she was on the road before exiting. Any ideas? We’d really like to be refunded the $179.
— Francesca Austin, Oakland
AAppeal, but it is a long shot. Caltrans typically receives 4,000plus claims a year, but fewer than 1 in 10 are
upheld. No fee is required to file a claim for $10,000 or less. The state pays out nearly $1.2 million for road-related damages under $ 5,000, but it received roughly $200 million in claims over roughly the same period. It’s difficult to say how many are upheld because many are turned over to contractors and those are not tracked.
Go to www.dot.ca.gov/ damageclaims. htm for more details. Californians pay out $762 per year, but in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, the cost of poor roads is much higher, more than $1,000 a year in repair costs.
QEvery column you write makes me more grateful I’ve commuted by motorcycle for the last 21 years. People waiting three seconds to proceed after a light turns green, road boulders, people not using blinkers because they think it’s annoying to other drivers, people leaving two car lengths between the car in front of them at stoplights. I’m sure those drivers think they’re justified but their f lawed logic
doesn’t justify inconveniencing everyone else. I’m so glad I don’t have to sit in traffic with those fools. — Ben Belton, San Mateo
AFools? We need some humor here.
QI want to join drivers who wait at least three seconds before heading into an intersection. When I was first taught to drive decades ago, my instructor ( Papa) suggested to ease my natural impatience when heading into an intersection, I should revert first to my early childhood counting
— “One potato, two potatoes, three potatoes, four” … uttered very slowly. It was so silly. Of course, I still say it and it unfailingly makes me smile.
— Vilma Pallette, Santa Clara
AYou have your Papa and me smiling.
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