There are a lot of potholes in New York City, and a lot of cyclists. When the two forces collide, bones get broken, tires get smashed, and people sometimes die. Also, the city gets sued. The DOT's failure to fix certain potholes has been costly: $3.8 million has been paid out to pothole victims since 2005. The Daily News has a rundown of some of the biggest payouts, which include $750,000 to cyclist Rafael Cruz.
Cruz fractured his elbow after hitting a massive pothole near the Queensboro Bridge in 2002. Because the pothole had been reported to the DOT but not fixed within 15 days, the city was liable. So the lesson here is that if you're going to crash into a pothole, try to pick an old one. And then there's Samantha MacBride, who broke both arms in 2003 when she "took a spill over a speed bump that had been stripped of its warning paint" on the East Side bike path. MacBride, who settled for $250,000, said, "The roadway in the East River Park is still terrible to ride on. It has potholes all over it. I assume they're going to fix it."
