Can you fight city hall...and win?

[Serenitynow]

So, here's the deal. I'm riding my motorcycle through downtown Atlanta when all of a sudden one of the biggest potholes appear from under the car in front of me! I hit it straight on. It's actually a small steel cover access plate and it seems to have been patched around it at some point, but it's all sunken around it leaving a downward slope leading to an abrupt near 90 degree turn towards the sky. The slope pf the street is downward in that direction as well leading to the biggest impact I've felt while riding motorcycles. I pull over when safe (lots of traffic around) and see that my front rim is bent quite a bit!!  Angry

Now, I'm a big proponent of personal responsibility. I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Course, read a lot and practice safe riding skills etc. So, looking back at it maybe I could have allowed more space between me and the car I was following, but in the city with cars all around me, I'm also constantly scanning the traffic ahead and all around to see who's trying to kill me!

So, I turned back around to take pics of this pothole and there happens to be a motorcycle shop right there (with a bent rim special advertised on a big sign....I kid!). I go in to talk to them and the guys cool and says that it's happened to him before and there's not much you can do, at least he never got anywhere with it. He recommended that I make a police report to document the incident and the precint is basically right across the street. So, I go there and several ppl and I line up at the door only to find that they close at 230pm!

The moto shop guy said it could require replacement of the Brembo rim (it's a Ducati Monster with only 5000 miles on it). Or, it could possibly be repaired and repainted. Either way it's a few hundred bucks. I don't think it's worth turning in on my insurance because I probably have a high deductible anyway. So, is there anything I can do? Do street departments of cities ever pay claims like this? I'm also worried about this happening to someone else. My bike has 17" rims but if one of those little scooters with 8 " rims were to hit it it would be like running straight into a curb for them and could possibly be deadly.

If there's nothing that I can do then it'll just be one of those hard knock lessons in life for me. I just figured if there was something to do then one of you smart guys (not wise guys!) would know!  Wink



--------------------
See Ya,
John
 drink

[superjohn]

I have heard you can get recompense for such things, but I've never had any luck. I did have something similar happen in my car where I cut 2 left side tires on an unmarked median that had the remnants of a signpost which had been forcibly removed by another careless driver. I reported it to the highway department and they had someone out fixing it in 2-3 days, so at least someone else didn't end up like I did.

[Spidey]

http://www.atlantaga.gov/client_resources/government/law/claim.pdf

[mitt]

http://www.atlantaga.gov/client_resources/government/law/claim.pdf

That seems straight forward        Good luck

mitt

[DoubleEagle]

My gut feeling on this is that you should have recourse for the damage .

Dolph       

[TiNi]

sorry to hear about your rim...

good luck with your fight! 

[MendoDave]

If the claim doesn't go anywhere it might make a good story for the local news paper or TV station. If they decide to run it. Sometimes that has the effect of lighting a fire under some asses.