Many Thompsonites have gotten used to summer being a time when the city streets are filled with construction crews fixing potholes or painting fresh lines on the pavement. This summer, Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation construction crews have been focusing on stretches of road along Highway 6 south of Thompson going towards Paint Lake and Liz Lake.
This has posed a problem for many people who live out on the scenic lakes but drive in to Thompson to get to their workplaces, or even to go visit friends or pick up groceries.
Many people have incurred damage to their vehicles by driving on the stretches of highway that are currently undergoing construction, whether it be as minor as a rock chip or as serious as having to replace a bumper.
Ron Carey, who lives at Liz Lake, says this summer he's already received three flat tires and large paint chips caused by rocks to both of his cars. Both vehicles' windshields also have to be replaced due to rock chips. He says he'd like to see the provincial government have some type of compensation for drivers whose vehicles get damaged during construction season, but doesn't see that happening any time soon.
Although Carey says that the flying rock situation seems to have gotten better on Highway 6, the mud that drivers had to deal with in the springtime was horrible.
"The mud was ridiculous for a few days there," he says. "I've got a four wheel drive vehicle and there were about four days in spring when I was dragging bottom on it."
Richard Adams, who also lives at Liz Lake, agrees with Carey, saying that during the spring the front bumper of his vehicle was broken. He's also received rock chips to the hood, roof and doors of his vehicle, and his windshield has been broken.
"The damages were all caused by oncoming traffic; it was not me following people. And the way Autopac looks at it is you have to make a separate claim for each incident, so that means huge surcharges on your license when it's not your fault," he reasons, adding that because he'd have to pay a deductible for each item of damage, he's considering waiting until the construction season ends and paying out of pocket to get all the work done on his vehicles.
"I'm happy about the road getting fixed, I just don't like everything that's happening in between," he says. "I've got two vehicles, and they're both getting damaged. It's going to cost me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, and I'm not alone."
Brian Smiley, media relations co-ordinator with Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) who is based out of Winnipeg, says the issue of damage incurred on construction areas is a hot topic during the summer months throughout the province.
"This construction that's been going on in the Thompson area has been ongoing for quite awhile now," he says. "The residents up there are very familiar with it and have obviously travelled it numerous times."
Smiley goes on to say it's the driver's responsibility to make sure they drive at a speed and in a fashion that is appropriate for the road conditions. He says that when damage is incurred to a vehicle travelling on a road where construction is ongoing, MPI will look at a number of things, including whether the vehicle was travelling at an appropriate speed or not. If they weren't, he explains, the driver is considered at fault 100 per cent and responsible for paying their deductible.
On the other hand, if a driver is going down a road under construction and a construction vehicle ahead of him is, for example, carrying a loose load of gravel, or a car that is speeding causes a rock to fly up that hits their windshield, the driver would need to get the licence plate of the vehicle in question and MPI would do an investigation.
In the case where two cars are driving down the road, both going an appropriate speed, and a rock from one car flies up at another causing damage, it is considered purely an accident and the driver of the damaged vehicle still has to pay their deductible.
Smiley says it also doesn't make sense for people to be able to lump their damages together under one claim, regardless of how many they incurred during the construction season.
"If you live in a house and someone throws a rock through your front windows four times, you're not able to make one claim," he rationalizes. "That's the basic principal of insurance."
Smiley does point out that if people disagree with how MPI views their claims, it is within their right to appeal that decision.
