POTHOLES!!!!

[paulvs]

http://www.pretorianews.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20100903120125923C523569

 

 

 

Pothole causes cycle crash

 

Johannesburg - A pothole was the reason why three riders from the MTN-Energade men's road cycling team on Thursday ended up in hospital with broken bones.

 

To top it all, Jaco Venter, Dylan Girdlestone and Bradley Potgieter are now doubtful to race in any of the last three big classics of the season, the Amashova, OFM and 94.7.

 

Venter broke his arm in three places, Girdlestone broke his shoulder bone and, as luck would have it, Potgieter injured the same ankle that was fractured in a car accident early this year.

 

Reinhardt Janse van Rensburg, who was also training with his teammates on the road just past the Hartbeeshoek Satellite Station west of Pretoria, said they were busy with a team motorpacing session when the accident happened.

 

"Jaco and I were riding next to one another, while Bradley and Dylan were just in front of us. We were doing about 80km/ph when Jaco hit the pothole."

 

According to Janse van Rensburg, the moment the accident happened Venter's bicycle shot up in the air, he totally lost control and crashed down at high speed.

 

When Ian Wilson, the driver of the Kombi that was used by the riders for their motorpacing, saw in his rearview mirror that Venter had crashed, he immediately braked.

 

"Unfortunately, Dylan and Bradley were looking backwards to see what had happened to Jaco and whether he was OK. They did not realise that the Kombi was slowing down and consequently they crashed into it at full speed.

 

"Dylan's shoulder really looked bad. Just glancing at it I could see that the bone had broken right through."

 

This accident means MTN-Energade will be racing with only half a team in the Dome2Dome race in Johannesburg on Sunday. - Sapa

 

Quickwire

 

Published on the Web by IOL on 2010-09-03 12:01:25

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[Mackie]

Yet another reason why to get onto a MTB, pot holes and Kombi's at pace are not a roadie's friend...

[CatGirl]

pothole het gemaak dat ek my runx 160rs afgeskryf het

[Sammajoor]

Any course for legal action???????

[CatGirl]

Any course for legal action???????

 

i would've fought a losing battle!

[Kranswurm]

What a stupid senseless accident.Surely the team management scout the route before hand.They are totally to blame for not conducting a thorough recce of the route

[Reg Lizard]

There is a legal responsibility upon the road authority to maintain their roads!!! Therefore the pothole is a consequence of them not properly maintaining their roads and therefore they are liable. A similar case which was all over the papers a few years ago was when a 10ton rock fell on a vehicle using Chapman's Peak Drive. The City of Cape Town was the maintenance authority for this road and therefore they were held responsible. So yes take pics, etc of the pothole and attach it to your claim against the road/maintenance authority.

[javadude]

While motor pacing is very effective training, it is a huge risk and also illegal. So they can't sue the government for an accident that happened while they were breaking the law. Secondly, motor pacing requires a massive responsibility from the driver of the vehicle, and for him to have hit the brakes with guys behind him is plain stupidity.

[Kranswurm]

There is a legal responsibility upon the road authority to maintain their roads!!! Therefore the pothole is a consequence of them not properly maintaining their roads and therefore they are liable. A similar case which was all over the papers a few years ago was when a 10ton rock fell on a vehicle using Chapman's Peak Drive. The City of Cape Town was the maintenance authority for this road and therefore they were held responsible. So yes take pics, etc of the pothole and attach it to your claim against the road/maintenance authority.

 

You can claim from whoever you like,but if I was one of those riders I would pop that driver one as soon as I was able !Twat!

[onetrackmind]

Are they serious? Blaming a pothole for a motorpacing accident. FFS, at some point we need to take responsibility for our own mistakes, people.

 

Idiots.

 

That withstanding, all the best to all three - a really **** thing to happen, no matter the circumstances.

[benadeja]

This where the Jacaranda Classic will be taking place ... hope not ?

[Reg Lizard]

While motor pacing is very effective training, it is a huge risk and also illegal. So they can't sue the government for an accident that happened while they were breaking the law. Secondly, motor pacing requires a massive responsibility from the driver of the vehicle, and for him to have hit the brakes with guys behind him is plain stupidity.

You make a valid point, because that is what the gov would argue- the accident was caused as a result of the motor pacing not the pothole as such.

 

If it wasn't for that, you would have had a good change of them settling (even out of court). I've heard of many such claims being lodged against road authorities, most of which are settled without much fuss.

[Mojoman]

One would think 'eyes front' if you are doing 80km/h! Not 'Eyes back'!

[The Saint]

There is a legal responsibility upon the road authority to maintain their roads!!! Therefore the pothole is a consequence of them not properly maintaining their roads and therefore they are liable.

Not entirely true - there are a set of rules which are applied before a claim will be entertained by the municipality in question. They need to have been made aware of the pothole beforehand and will only pay out if they have not made the repair within a certain period of time after the report. There is documentation which needs to filled out when reporting the pothole and so forth.

 

In other words they wait for the public to report it and only then do they take action - they do not have people driving around all day looking for potholes. This makes it very difficult to claim as you don't know if the pothole has ever been formally reported and they are certainly not going to tell you if it has.

 

Also claims for pothole damage must be accompanied by proper documentation - good luck with this it is easier to go to HiQ and pay the R500 to get your rim straightened.

[Reg Lizard]

Not entirely true - there are a set of rules which are applied before a claim will be entertained by the municipality in question. They need to have been made aware of the pothole beforehand and will only pay out if they have not made the repair within a certain period of time after the report. There is documentation which needs to filled out when reporting the pothole and so forth.

 

In other words they wait for the public to report it and only then do they take action - they do not have people driving around all day looking for potholes. This makes it very difficult to claim as you don't know if the pothole has ever been formally reported and they are certainly not going to tell you if it has.

 

Also claims for pothole damage must be accompanied by proper documentation - good luck with this it is easier to go to HiQ and pay the R500 to get your rim straightened.

You might be right but I've heard and seen some cases settled without any fuss and without much investigation.

[andrewc]

Does anyone know if it is illegal for a member of the public to mark potholes with paint? The approach edge of the potholes on the route of the Engen Cycle Challenge were marked with orange "dayglo" paint, which was really effective. It got me thinking that it may be a good idea to do the same on the routes the club rides on weekends. We report potholes and they are generally fixed during the same week in the suburbs, but the ones on the M4 seem to hang around for a loooong time.

 

I suspect that the "powers that be" will frown upon people painting on their roads?

 

Cheers,

 

Andrew