Collateral damage from the circulator

To the Editor:

On November 8, 2016, I was traveling west on Centerville Road about 2:30 in the afternoon along with many other cars. The road had just been scraped and cleared of the old asphalt awaiting the new asphalt to be poured later that day. Driving at a low speed, I drove over a manhole cover that was protruding far above the driving surface. I heard a noise and when I pulled over and checked my car, the two passenger side tires were both flat.

Yes, there were police officers on scene. I placed an incident report with one of them. Yes, there were orange cones all over the place, but not near the manhole cover. Yes, there was clearly road construction happening and signs stating such. However, the manhole covers were not marked. When asked why the covers were not painted orange as a warning, the police officer stated because they were going to be repaving later anyway.

My claim to Cardi Corporation was denied. They stated the damage to my car "is something outside of the control of Cardi Corporation.” But for the fact that they left the protruding manhole covers unmarked, my tires may not have blown out. As a taxpayer that pays for the big companies to do this work, am I just considered collateral damage?

The inconvenience of being caught in sometimes non-moving traffic is one thing and I guess a necessary evil of progress. However, physical damage to one's vehicle is unacceptable. I am sure I am not the only one affected in this way. I wonder how many other innocent, taxpaying motorists have had similar experiences. I know this is a case of the little guy versus big business, but I felt compelled to express my frustration.  Bill Mahoney

North Kingstown