On their way home from a road trip last October, Denise Brennan said she and her husband Mike saw a large tractor mowing near the roadway on I-75.
Out of precaution, she moved from the outside to the center lane. But it was too late. Seconds later, she saw what looked like a large piece of asphalt shoot out from the tractor’s blade and crash into their Jeep.
“And all of a sudden, we just heard like a big bang,” Denise said.
The object tore through the hood, sliced the motor, and smashed into the windshield. The couple says all the engine warning lights came on as they pulled over.
Mike, a retired firefighter, started recording on his cell phone after he tried to flag down the tractor. But the video shows the driver didn't stop and drove away from the scene.
The Florida Highway Patrol report supports the Brennans' story. Insurance paid around $4,000 for repairs, but the couple said the crash cost them $3,000 out-of-pocket for a six-week car rental.
Denise, a Pinellas County school teacher, told ABC Action News that Oasis, a state contractor that provides roadside maintenance, owns the tractor and that an area manager for the company met them at the scene. “He said to us to save all of our receipts. This happens a couple of times a year that they will take care of it, ” Denise recalled him saying.
The couple told us the company later denied the claim. They also filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Transportation. The agency said it turned the case over to risk management but then referred them back to Oasis.
ABC Action News contacted FDOT. A spokesperson said in an email,
The claim was opened earlier this year, and FDOT and the Florida Division of Risk Management followed the state’s standard process for handling claims related to vehicle damage. FDOT’s investigation found that Oasis Landscaping was contracted for work in the area at the time of the incident, and Risk Management informed Mr. Brennan that he could file a claim with Oasis Landscaping. Now that the contractor has denied that claim, Mr. Brennan would need to appeal the decision with the contractor (Oasis) as a next step.
If they don’t win on appeal, the couple’s only other option is to go to small claims court.
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