New bill would force Caltrans to pay for last year's window damage along I-80 in Roseville
ROSEVILLE — A California Assembly member is trying to force the state transportation department to pay up for damage done to cars on Interstate 80 during a four-month period in 2023.
Most of the damage was reported on the interstate between Highway 65 and Douglas Boulevard in Placer County from January to April of last year.
"We were driving along, and all of a sudden, we heard a sound that sounded like a gunshot," Bonnie Morse said.
Morse was driving back to the San Francisco Bay Area on I-80 last spring when a rock flew up from the road and smashed her window.
"It's really frustrating because if it was a one-off thing, that's one thing," she said.
Caltrans said last year's winter storms damaged a portion of the freeway between Rocklin and Roseville, crumbling asphalt and leading to loose gravel.
Morse's story is the same story.
Assemblyman Joe Patterson heard from countless residents. Their claims were denied by Caltrans, so he met with the department to find out why.
"It turns out, under the way the current law is written, none of those claims were granted because they don't consider it a hazardous condition," Patterson said.
Patterson received dozens of filings in his office. He also learned local law enforcement received the same reports of damaged windshields.
"We're going to ask those agencies for records pertaining to that and to show, 'Hey, this was actually a risk,' " he said.
Patterson hopes to change the current law to make loose gravel resulting in broken or damaged windshields hazardous and hold Caltrans responsible. He introduced Assembly Bill 2848, which would force Caltrans to pay for those specific claims.
"When you can't see out your windshield because there's a huge crack in it, that's hazardous," he said.
His office learned that out of 13,600 claims filed to Caltrans in one year, only 217 were granted.
"This was very clearly a hazardous condition, and we're going to make sure those claims are paid," Patterson said.
CBS Sacramento has reached out to Caltrans for comment but has not yet heard back as of the publishing of this story.
Meanwhile, Patterson said his office will continue to investigate these claims over the next few months.