Created: 02/16/2010 8:44 PM KSTC45.com | Print Story By: Tim Sherno & Jacob Kittilstad

Getting MnDOT to pay for pothole damage no easy process

Jaclyn Maynard's car hit a pothole Saturday. One of her tires was trashed and her rim was ruined. Repairs are going to cost over $500, Maynard said.

She asked the state to pay for damages caused to her vehicle by the pothole, but asking isn't easy and getting paid is unlikely.

Legally a driver can make a claim and ask the Minnesota Department of Transportation to pay for damage but simply finding the forms is difficult. The information is listed on the MnDOT web site under the heading of "Tort Claims.".

The required forms are not available online. If people want to make a claim they have to call MnDOT and request the forms. Claims are processed by the Department of Risk Management.

Last year, 150 Drivers in the metro area filed claims for damage to their vehicles from potholes. According to MnDOT, the state paid on two. Three others are still pending. One hundred forty five were denied.

Pothole repair is a balance of need and resource, MnDOT said. Potholes are prioritized meaning that some potholes get emergency attention while others are put on a waiting list.

Driver Jaclyn Maynard has already found out that her claim will likely be denied but she still waits for her pothole to be repaired.

"And it appears to me that nothing's been done," Maynard said.