INDIANAPOLIS -- The state of Indiana has paid out $7,792.20 in the last two years as a result of property damage caused by INDOT snowplows, records show.
Out of the 68 claims filed in 2014 and 2015, 17 claims -- or 25 percent -- were paid and 48 were denied.
Three cases are still pending, records show.
These numbers include damage to vehicles from INDOT blades or snow thrown from a plow, or even a collision with a snowplow.
|
Year |
Number of INDOT claims involving snowplows |
Number Denied |
Number paid |
Number of files still open |
Total Amounts paid |
|
2014 |
36 |
28 |
8 |
0 |
$3,811.57 |
|
2015 |
32 |
20 |
9 |
3 |
$3,980.63 |
Just last week, Call 6 Investigates spoke with a Monrovia woman who filed a tort claim alleging her mailboxes are repeatedly destroyed by state snowplows.
PREVIOUS | Homeowner irked by repeat plow damage to mailbox
Mailbox tort claims are categorized separately from claims relating to vehicles, according to the Attorney General's office.
Property owners filed 333 mailbox claims in 2014 and 2015.
The state has paid 64 percent of those claims, records show, and 36 percent were denied.
Five mailbox cases are still pending.
The state paid out more than $11,053 in 2014 and 2015 for damage to mailboxes caused by INDOT plows, records show.
|
Year |
Number of INDOT claims involving mailbox damage |
Number Denied |
Number paid |
Number of files still open and under review |
Total Amounts paid |
|
2014 |
227 |
84 |
143 |
0 |
$7,846.00 |
|
2015 |
106 |
31 |
70 |
5 |
$3,207.85 |
The Office of the Attorney General has 90 days to notify property owners in writing if a tort claim is approved.
“All tort claim notices received are reviewed to determine if the State has any liability due to negligence, as opposed to third parties or factors beyond the State’s control,” said Bryan Corbin, spokesperson for the Indiana Attorney General in an email to Call 6 Investigates. “If the review finds the State has liability for the loss and the demand amount is justified, then a settlement can be made.”
Corbin pointed out if the state denies a claim, then the claimant has the legal right to pursue a lawsuit in court for the amount, if they so choose.
|
Year |
Number of INDOT claims involving snowplows |
Number Denied |
Number paid |
Number of files still open |
Total Amounts paid |
|
2014 |
36 |
28 |
8 |
0 |
$3,811.57 |
|
2015 |
32 |
20 |
9 |
3 |
$3,980.63 |
Records show Indianapolis paid out $2,031.54 in 2014 and 2015 for property damage caused by its snow plows.
Of the 19 claims filed in 2014, financial settlements were reached in 12 of the cases.
Of the 10 claims filed in 2015, the city paid out settlements in 5 of the cases—the largest payment was $386.13.
The numbers do not include snowplow damage caused to vehicles.
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