Damage from accidents needs repairs
Repeated accidents have damaged Yukon Road’s guardrails.
But they are still waiting for replacement because of insurance issues, Gilmer Road Department and Public Works Director Ryan Steingruber said.
“The biggest impediment that keeps us from repairing guardrails in a timely fashion has been insurance companies,” he said.
Lucky Hollow Farms Property Owners Association President Clyde Walters said the rails in his area of Yukon Road pose a particular threat because of past car accidents and vegetation overgrowth.
Car accidents completely destroyed one section of guardrail near the entrance to Lucky Hollow Farms.
Another guardrail end has become obscured by overgrowing vegetation.
“The cumulative effect of these unrepaired damages creates a perilous environment for our residents, their visitors, and all individuals who utilize Yukon Road,” he wrote in a letter to the Gilmer County Commissioners that he shared with the Times-Courier.
On Gilmer roads with steep drop-offs and sharp turns, guardrails are an essential safety feature.
They keep out-of-control cars from going off the roads and reduce the speed of an out-of-control vehicle. If a car doesn’t hit a guardrail, it will hit a house, embankment or other obstacle.
Guardrails can never replace safe driving. But for drivers in emergencies, this extra protection can be lifesaving.
“Guardrail is not cheap,” he said. “And the insurance companies love to not pay out on stuff like that.”
After these features are damaged enough, they need to be replaced.
However, insurance makes the repair process more difficult for these rails than other parts of Gilmer.
Because the rails were damaged in an accident, the responsibility for paying the repair bills falls on the insurance of the person who broke them.
“We’ve been waiting years to get paid out on an insurance claim where a chicken feed truck ran into about 120 feet of guardrail,” Steingruber said.
Unfortunately, getting the insurance company to pay for repair can be a long and difficult process.
In the meantime, the road conditions can be very frustrating for residents.
“I understand it looks terrible. I understand what they’re saying and how they’re feeling about it,” he said.
Repeated accidents have damaged Yukon Road’s guardrails.
But they are still waiting for replacement because of insurance issues, Gilmer Road Department and Public Works Director Ryan Steingruber said.
“The biggest impediment that keeps us from repairing guardrails in a timely fashion has been insurance companies,” he said.
Lucky Hollow Farms Property Owners Association President Clyde Walters said the rails in his area of Yukon Road pose a particular threat because of past car accidents and vegetation overgrowth.
Car accidents completely destroyed one section of guardrail near the entrance to Lucky Hollow Farms.
Another guardrail end has become obscured by overgrowing vegetation.
“The cumulative effect of these unrepaired damages creates a perilous environment for our residents, their visitors, and all individuals who utilize Yukon Road,” he wrote in a letter to the Gilmer County Commissioners that he shared with the Times-Courier.
On Gilmer roads with steep drop-offs and sharp turns, guardrails are an essential safety feature.
They keep out-of-control cars from going off the roads and reduce the speed of an out-of-control vehicle. If a car doesn’t hit a guardrail, it will hit a house, embankment or other obstacle.
Guardrails can never replace safe driving. But for drivers in emergencies, this extra protection can be lifesaving.
“Guardrail is not cheap,” he said. “And the insurance companies love to not pay out on stuff like that.”
After these features are damaged enough, they need to be replaced.
However, insurance makes the repair process more difficult for these rails than other parts of Gilmer.
Because the rails were damaged in an accident, the responsibility for paying the repair bills falls on the insurance of the person who broke them.
“We’ve been waiting years to get paid out on an insurance claim where a chicken feed truck ran into about 120 feet of guardrail,” Steingruber said.
Unfortunately, getting the insurance company to pay for repair can be a long and difficult process.
In the meantime, the road conditions can be very frustrating for residents.
“I understand it looks terrible. I understand what they’re saying and how they’re feeling about it,” he said.