A couple driving down I-70 in Colorado blames a massive pothole in the road for a car accident that nearly killed them. Unfortunately, the state troopers didn’t believe them.
As the accident occurred, in real time, a vehicle driving behind them captured the incident on its dash camera.
The pothole, according to the couple, caused their camper trailer to spin out of control. According to them, the incident did not end there, as police responding to the accident issued them a ticket for reckless driving despite the fact that they did nothing wrong and violated no laws.
The couple, Thomas Kuemmel and his fiancée Leslie Brock, said they were driving east on Interstate 70 toward Denver at the speed limit or less when the terrifying incident occurred. They were getting close to the Loveland Ski Area when they felt their pickup truck and trailer spinning out of control.
Brock, who was in the front passenger seat, told reporters that everything was fine at first, but then the trailer began to jerk after hitting the pothole, causing them to lose control of their pickup truck.
Brock described the experience as terrifying, and she believed she was going to die.
The driver stated that he felt a large jerk, and then the trailer began bumping into the pickup truck, causing him to lose control or his vehicle.
Kuemmel and his fiancée’s problems were compounded when the Colorado State Patrol arrived and suspected them of driving recklessly on purpose. The driver attempted to explain to the troopers that the crash was caused by a large pothole near the accident scene. Despite their protests, the trooper issued them a citation.
Two days later, the Colorado Transportation Department shut down the highway to repair a massive pothole in the same area. It is unclear whether the pothole that was repaired was the same one that caused the accident.
According to Brock and Kuemmel, the accident would not have occurred if the authorities had repaired the pothole sooner.
Kuemmel will appear in court in May to contest his summons. The dashcam video should help his case.