NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- A southern Indiana woman was crossing the Sherman Minton Bridge when rebar hit her car, causing over a thousand dollars in damage. Now the contractor working on the bridge said it isn't responsible for the damage.
The steel bar is 18 inches long, and Gail Garrett said it could have seriously hurt her if it had hit a few inches higher.
"It was scary," she said. "What if it had come up higher? If it had went through my car door and got me, would they say the same thing?"
Friday afternoon, Garrett had to run some errands in Louisville. She was driving across the Sherman Minton Bridge, when she suddenly heard a loud bang against her car.
"It sounded like a shot," she said. "I was driving in the lane directly next to the closed lane for construction."
Garrett decided to wait until she got to her destination to check out the damage.
"When I opened my door, [the rebar] was sticking out," Garrett said. "I had to end up screwing it out."
Shortly before she crossed, a truck crashed into a painter's platform on the bridge. It sent debris everywhere, but she got across the bridge before it was shut down for several hours for repairs.
Kokosing Construction Company is overseeing the bridge construction. When Garrett's insurance filed a claim, the company sent back a letter.
"Kokosing determined the debris that caused the damages was not from our construction operations," claims specialist Nick Cavinee wrote. "Kokosing Construction Company is respectfully denying liability for the damage to your vehicle."
Since the Sherman Minton Renewal Project started in mid-2021, hundreds of complaints have been filed for things falling from the bridge and damaging cars.
More than 300 of those claims have been for paint and slurry. At least six of the complaints have been filed for larger debris falling.
"It's aggravating," Garrett said. "Now I feel like if I cross the Sherman Minton Bridge, I'm doing so at my own risk."
Drivers are encouraged to take photos and reach out to INDOT 4U for further information by clicking here or calling 1-855-463-6848.
To follow progress on the project, go to www.ShermanMintonRenewal.com.
More Sherman Minton Bridge Coverage:
- Westbound lanes of Sherman Minton Bridge reopen after 9-day closure
- Heads Up | Drivers on Sherman Minton say vehicles were hit by a sloppy wet substance
- Several vehicles damaged by paint dripping from the top of the Sherman Minton Bridge
- Sherman Minton Bridge plan details construction phases, lane closures
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