Car damaged by council-road pothole not eligable for compo
A THULIMBAH man's fight to seek compensation for damage caused to his car while driving on a Southern Downs Regional Council-owned road has come to an end after seven months.
But he didn't drive away with any compensation.
It started in April when the man encountered "a large and dangerous pothole" while driving along Perry Lane, which caused more than $200 of damage to his car tyre rims.
He reported it to the council's community contact centre, which notified repair crews and the pothole was patched up by April 10.
A few days after the incident the man once again called the community contact centre, this time asking how to go about making an insurance claim against the council.
The council received the request in early May, but it was determined that as the council was unaware of the pothole at the time of the incident, they were not liable for the damage.
The claimant was not happy with the response and asked Mayor Peter Blundell to bring the matter to a council meeting.
At yesterday's general meeting councillors looked over the report. Like the officers, they decided the council was not to blame.
Deputy mayor Ross Bartley said it was a driver's responsibility to drive to the conditions.
