INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.– If you’ve filed a claim against the City of Indianapolis for pothole damage to your car, the odds of the City paying aren’t good.

According to numbers from the City’s Office of Corporation Counsel, nearly 130 people have filed claims in 2018. Of those claims, only one has been paid out. 80 have been denied. It was a similar situation in 2017 when more than 260 claims were filed and just 25 were paid out.

The City says the most common reasons for claims being denied are not being alerted to the pothole, or not having a “reasonable opportunity” to repair the pothole.

However, per an email from a DPW spokesperson,  “reasonable opportunity” to repair a pothole could “vary” based on factors such as pending service requests or issues with weather.

Brittany Green says her claim to be reimbursed for damage was denied in early February, after a pothole caused $130 in damage to her car. In the letter denying her claim, the City claimed that it “did not have reasonable knowledge and a reasonable opportunity to repair the defect.” Green says she’s not buying the City’s excuse.

“I find it ridiculous because I was one of three cars that had a flat tire just that morning alone. And it was there for a few days prior easy,” she said.

Last Friday Indianapolis mayor Joe Hogsett encouraged residents to file claims, and ensured that the City would “work with them to try to adjudicate those claims in an appropriate and fair and equitable way.”

He also agreed to taking a look at the City’s process for approving or denying claims to when asked about the low rate of claim approval.