Driver frustrated after paint bucket flies off vehicle, splashes car

Woman says careless driver could have caused even more damage

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A driver on the Westside is trying to find out who's responsible for damages to her car after a large bucket of paint fell onto the interstate Monday. 

She said the debris could have caused a serious wreck.

The driver, who didn't want to give her name, said she was driving to work during rush hour on Monday morning when a bucket flew into the road.

"The biggest issue is that someone was careless,” she said. “A 5-gallon jug of paint opened and spilled all over the highway."

The now-dry paint can be seen covering three lanes along I-295 North before Roosevelt Boulevard.

The driver who reported the issue to News4Jax said several drivers swerved to avoid the paint bucket, splashing wet paint everywhere. 

She didn't noticed until she got to work that her car's tires and wheel wells were covered in yellow paint.

“It's horrible," she said. “You can feel the specks. It's all over, like a mist.”

She doesn't know what kind of paint it is but said she'll have to take her car to a special detailer to get it removed. She said she'll need to replace the tires, because the paint won't come off, and that will cost about $1,000. 

She also said she knows the situation could have been much worse.

"This could have caused even someone to be killed if it had hit a windshield,” she said. “They would have lost control, and it was just carelessness that caused this."

Troopers said drivers who see debris coming from another vehicle should get that vehicle's license plate number and report it to authorities. That driver could face fines and possibly be responsible for damages caused to any vehicles.

But if you don't know who's responsible, you're on the hook for any repairs. Most comprehensive insurance plans will cover the costs, but be warned: Hitting debris in the roadway will be counted as an "at-fault accident" by many insurance companies if you can't identify who dropped the debris.

Insurance agents said it's important to take pictures of the damage and keep a copy of the police report.

As for the driver who got splashed this week, she said she'll clean up the paint, but she wants those responsible to clean up their act.