JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – We’ve shown you the damage I-10 drivers say they suffered from a construction project between Chaffee Road and Hammond Boulevard. Dents, windshield cracks and more.
They’ve been told to file a claim with the company contracted to do maintenance on the project, with F-DOT or their insurance. Here are some of the responses we’ve been getting lately:
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“My insurance company does not want to pay for windshield replacement.. I think it’s ridiculous. Nothing has been done about this yet.. to me if it was so much of a problem, they would start replacing the road in between there. Me I have been trying to avoid driving through there and going around.. it’s a slow process, but keeps from destroying my car..”
“I got a denial letter for the windshield claim I put in, but I hear they won’t do anything without a police report even though the form you fill out doesn’t say anything about a police report. I replaced my windshield a month before this happed. I gave them explicit details and pictures of the section of road my windshield, the mile marker signs from where the road is damaged and got a denial letter stating that my claim didn’t meet their criteria. So, I emailed him back and asked him how it didn’t meet their criteria when I gave them all the details that they asked for and got no response. I think we all need to get together and do a Class action lawsuit.”
“We have a new 2024 Cadillac that has small rock chips all over it from I-10 our claim was denied by the state DOT and we were told to send it to Jorgensen. While our claim has not been denied yet, from what I have heard it is inevitable.”
“I have filed claims with F-DOT and Jorgensen and been denied by both.”
“Here is a copy of the denial letter I was sent for my claim. I ultimately had to file through my insurance because the crack spread across the entire windshield.”
One viewer received this email response from Jorgensen:
Good Evening!
Thank you for your message. Based on the information you have provided, we will be unable to pay your claim.
The date you have provided does not match the criteria for this specific reported incident and thus we cannot hold our insured liable under this specific claim about which we were making contact. This incident was reported to Liberty Mutual as having occurred on a certain date and the date you have reported your damages to have occurred does not match. We understand the FDOT has been advising vehicle owners to contact our insured Roy Jorgensen concerning their vehicle damages incurred on various roadways for which they are responsible. And this unfortunately has led to confusion for many as our insured was not given loss dates with these reports leaving Liberty Mutual to sift through who is eligible to be paid out under this claim.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. At this time, we recommend you file through your own insurance company to mitigate any damages.
Jorgensen
News4Jax has reached out to Jorgensen repeatedly - asking them what criteria has to be met for claims to be approved. We are still waiting on a response.
F-DOT gave us this statement in February, when we questioned their role in ensuring contractors fulfill claims and if they have guidelines to give to contractors when dealing with claims:
“The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) takes its responsibility in the safety and maintenance of the roadway seriously. Damage claims occur when a claimant alleges FDOT, or its contractor was negligent in its responsibility to maintain the roadway. Claims are reviewed similar to typical insurance processes. In some cases, damage claims have been denied due to insufficient evidence linking the reported damages to I-10. It is imperative for claimants to provide detailed information, including evidence such as police reports, specific locations, times of day, lane locations and dates when alleged damage occurs. Without this information, it becomes challenging to establish a clear connection between the reported damage and the state of the roadway. FDOT and its partners must be accountable for taxpayer dollars and cannot guarantee damage claims are fulfilled based on allegations alone. In cases where negligence is identified, appropriate action is taken, and claims are fulfilled.”
F-DOT
The in the contract for the resurfacing project for this stretch requires the contractor to begin construction activities in later April 2024.