More denied Caltrans Claims. ABC7 News recently told you less than 4% of Bay Area Caltrans pothole and other damage claims were approved by the agency between 2020 and mid-2023. A Fremont man whose claim was denied decided to do some digging and reason might surprise you.
Marco Vailetti says a chunk of concrete nearly took him out while driving over the Richmond-San Rafael bridge last summer.
“And it hit me right about here. It just scared the hell out of me,” said Vailetti.
Shattering Vailetti’s windshield.
MORE: Less than 4% of Bay Area Caltrans pothole, other damage claims approved in recent years: data
“If it did come through, I mean it was like aimed straight at my chest. It would have probably killed me instantly,” he explained.
The impact showering him with shards of glass.
“I was lucky I was wearing my sunglasses and I didn’t get any glass in my eye, otherwise I probably would have been blind,” he continued.
Now, Vailetti can’t believe what he’s seeing. More than five months after he filed a claim with Caltrans for the damages to his car, the agency wrote back letting him know based on its own investigation it determined its not liable.