LA's pothole problems grow with recent storms

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (FOX 11) - If you think the pothole problem in the city of Los Angeles has gotten worse in recent weeks, you're not alone.

Michael Caulfield says he hit a pothole on Crenshaw Boulevard on Tuesday. That hit flattened his tire, but once he took his BMW to his tire shop, that's when he found out that it was a bigger problem than that.

Not only did his tire go flat, but the impact was so hard, his wheel bent and needed fixing and the right side bushing in his suspension broke. He will likely spend around a thousand dollars for the repairs.

The City of LA Street Services confirmed that there has been an increase in calls to report potholes. There have been 3,650 reports in just the first two weeks of February. Elena Stern said half of them are already fixed. But we went to see the pothole on Crenshaw and it was still wreaking havoc with drivers.

Friday, Fox 11 News was shooting video when a white VW hit the pothole and moments later, the car's right front tire was flat. What's unclear is, if, like Michael's car, there's more damage than just a bad tire.

Ron Champion, of Stokes Tires in Santa Monica, showed off his collection of broken rims. He claims, they represent just some of the cars that were damaged by potholes since the rains came three weeks ago. One of the wheels had a broken front piece that looked like it had been peeled back with a giant can opener.

He also showed me the rim of a Mercedes Benz. That vehicle wound up with damage to three of four wheels, which meant buying a fresh set of rims and tires.

If you see a pothole or your car's been damaged by one in the city of Los Angeles, report it to LA's 311 or visit www.lacity.org/myla311-service-request.