A CRASH driver demanded £4,000 compensation from road chiefs only to be warned he’s getting a bill for damaging their safety barrier.
Paddy Cooney says a poorly maintained road with no grip was responsible for an accident which badly damaged his vehicle and left his family badly shaken.
The professional driver contacted Scottish Government road contractors to demand they pay the £4,000 bill to repair his car.
But Mr Cooney, from Dunfermline, Fife, was told by BEAR Scotland that he would shortly be receiving a bill – likely to run into thousands – for breaking a safety barrier on the A92 dual carriageway.
The stunned 35-year-old Stagecoach bus driver today asked: “Why should I have to pay? The road’s in a shocking state.”
Mr Cooney, a father of three, was driving with his wife and children last November when the back end of his SsangYong Rodius slid out.
The vehicle span through 180 degrees and smashed into the safety barrier with sufficient force to break and twist several sections.
He said: “I had two of my boys in the back – my three-year-old and my seven-month-old – and my wife was in the passenger seat. I was doing about 40mph.
“That part of road has no grip and the back of the car just spun out and ricocheted off the barrier.”
He added: “It hadn’t been raining and the road wasn’t even wet, but it was like an ice rink. I’ve been driving for years and this is the first accident I’ve ever had.”
No-one was seriously injured in the crash, but Paddy suffered whiplash and was forced to take two weeks off work.
He said: “I got in touch with BEAR Scotland, who are in charge of maintaining that part of road, and they said they were investigating what had happened.
“I called back a few weeks later and was told that I should call my insurance company because they would be sending me a bill for damage to the barrier.
“I couldn’t believe it. In no way was the accident my fault and I know a lot of people who have had trouble with that section of road – it’s in a shocking state.
“I don’t see why I should be the one to end up out of pocket here.”
The stretch of sliproad where the accident occurred has now has been reduced to one lane, with a temporary barrier in place.
A spokeswoman for BEAR said: “We are aware of the recent issues at Crossgates and have placed temporary traffic management at this location whilst investigations continue to determine the cause.
“Whilst we cannot provide comment on individual cases, drivers may at times be liable for costs when apparatus such as barriers are damaged as a result of an incident.”
