Driver’s anger as roadworks take their toll on his BMW
A BALLYMURN man, who suffered damage to his car when he hit a rough patch of roadworks just south of Oylegate, claims that there were insufficient road markings or traffic controls on the road at that time, and says that it could cost hundreds of euro for repairs to his vehicle.
Scaffolder Kevin Sludds was on his way to collect his fouryear-old daughter from her grandmother’s house in Wexford town at about 8 p.m. on Thursday night when he drove through roadworks at Oylegate.
‘I had gone through Oylegate and was about a kilometre outside the village when my car just dropped, about half a foot, into a patch where the road was missing. I was behind a lorry so I was only doing about 60 km/h.’
The driver’s side front wheel on Kevin’s car, a BMW estate, was badly damaged in the incident and Kevin pointed out that this particular type of wheel was hard to get and expensive to replace.
Kevin’s brother helped him to change the wheel on his car on the night but he said that it was after midnight before he collected his daughter.
‘I was stuck there for three hours. The alloy and spring is broke in bits and there’s damage to the undercarriage too.’
Kevin is waiting on quotes from a mechanic for work to the car but estimates the lowest cost to repair the vehicle and replace the alloys and tyres (with replicas rather than the original alloys) to be around €1,300.
‘I don’t have that kind of money. The construction company are checking back over their own information about the road at the time of the incident.’
He added that his family did not have a car at the moment and he was relying on the availability of work vans for transport.
A spokesperson for Wexford Co. Council said they were aware of the incident but noted that the stretch of road was under the control of a contractor at the time and they were aware that contact had been made with that party.
They added that anyone who might experience a similar situation should make contact with the council who would investigate the matter and take the appropriate action.