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Spring Hill family claims potholes damaged breathalyzer ignition device

Posted at 6:19 PM, Jan 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-18 19:19:54-05

Doesn’t matter if it is summer or winter, Kimberly Woods says the potholes at 199th and 169 Highway in Spring Hill are almost always there.

“People are dodging that lane completely, slowing down in the middle lane to make that turn. I’ve seen it numerous times,” said Woods.

KDOT says crews patched the holes between January 8th and 9th, but over the weekend Woods’ son-in-law says he couldn’t avoid the potholes.

“His coffee that was in his cup holder splashed all over the interior of his vehicle and went into a breathalyzer machine that he has to have to operate the vehicle and fried it,” said Woods.

The machine has been in the vehicle for close to a year according to Woods’ daughter, who tells 41 Action News the device is a requirement for her husband violating a suspended license after a DUI arrest. The manufacturer quoted a replacement cost as $1,000, so the family called KDOT to make a claim.

“They basically stated that they had no responsibility,” said Woods.

KDOT CLAIM POLICY

A KDOT legal representative suggested the family should make a claim with their insurance company.

“I thought it was ridiculous,” said Woods. “If not for those potholes and the continuing issue of them not staying stable, and the patch being in place, that wouldn’t have happened.”

After speaking with Woods, 41 Action News spotted KDOT crews patching the holes again using a temporary cold patch mix.

KDOT says they will use a longer short-term fix when temperatures reach above 50 degrees.

Long-Term Fix: KDOT has scoped a mill and overlay repair project for this stretch of U.S. 169 to provide a long-term fix for the roadway. This preservation project is not funded at this time for completion.

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Brian Abel can be reached at brian.abel@kshb.com. 

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