44 cases of snow removal equipment damage in Ottawa this winter
City of Ottawa snow removal equipment has damaged 44 pieces of property so far this winter, including thousands of dollars of damage to a legally parked car.
David Azzi said his 2012 Kia Forte was legally parked when a snowblower clearing snow from his curb ran into it.
"The big yellow box got the end of my car, pushed my car up on the curb and then while trying to get out of that situation, dragged the panel all along the side to the driver side window," he said.
Azzi said early repair estimates are around $7,000, but the city has been helpful and he's been assured his insurance won't go up.
The City of Ottawa says its snow-clearing equipment has damaged 14 vehicles so far this winter, cases where no fault insurance takes over, and has paid out $960.50 — with the caveat that many claims take several weeks to process.
City solicitor Rick O'Connor said that equipment has also damaged other property: mailboxes, fences, sprinkler heads, all whose owners may have to be reimbursed.
"The damage likely occurs when these things get covered in snow and cannot be seen by subsequent plows, so many of the incidents have taken place in the last few weeks," he said in an email.
O'Connor added that more damage will likely be revealed once the snow melts.
