If you’ve ever attempted to ski or snowboard in Colorado, you know the horror that is Interstate 70 heading into, and out of, the mountains. The traffic can be ruthless, even on a weekday, the other drivers can be absolutely insane, and the potholes, oh lord, the potholes, are numerous and enormous.
There’s really nothing quite like being forced to dodge small-car-wreck-sized potholes while cruising down a steep, several mile long hill immediately after exiting Eisenhower Tunnel at 65mph. In fact, just this Friday, I was doing exactly that, and the only thing I could think of was, who would be held responsible if one of these small highway-mining operations sent my car flying in the wrong direct?
Well, according to the Daily Mail, one Las Vegas couple was unfortunate enough to actually find the answer for us after getting into a pretty gnarly pothole-induced accident. Thomas Kuemmel and his fiancée Leslie Brock were traveling on I-70 towards Denver when a pothole sent their camper-trailer flying, causing the couple to lose control of their truck and sending them into the guard rail. While they claim they were safely driving at or below the speed limit, police cited them with careless driving. Kuemmel will have to make his case in court. Both Keummel and Brock were, very fortunately, uninjured.
#Pothole from Hell. Driver in #Colorado says it caused his #camper #trailer to bounce out of control. Said “I thought I was going to die” Near @LovelandSkiArea on I-70 @KDVR @channel2kwgn pic.twitter.com/brYc91MbJk
— Vicente Arenas (@vicentearenastv) March 9, 2023
Obviously you have to be alert and remain aware of any possible hazards while driving, but when you’re moving pretty fast on the highway, a pothole can easily come up without giving you any sort of warning. I can personally vouch for the size of some of these things. Parts of I-70 feel like the busted up gravel roads from where I grew up. It definitely does not make for safe road conditions. I don’t know what they need to do to fix these roads, but the state needs to figure it out, fast, and stop blaming drivers for accidents clearly caused by the state’s failure to keep the roads safe.
Image Credit: Vicente Arenas on Twitter