The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Letter To The Editor – Not Just A Fender Bender To Me

By

To the Editor:

 

Yes, this is my side of this so called minor fender-bender [described in the Berlin Town Board report in the January 16 issue of the Eastwick Press].

On January 8 on slippery Satterlee Hollow Road a Town of Berlin Mack plow truck slid into an SUV owned by Ralph Oakes. Described by Town Supervisor Jaeger at the Town Board meeting as a fender-bender, the Oakes feel differently. They received an estimate of $4,456.33 to fix the damage. Photo courtesy of Ralph Oakes.
On January 8 on slippery Satterlee Hollow Road a Town of Berlin Mack plow truck slid into an SUV owned by Ralph Oakes. Described by Town Supervisor Jaeger at the Town Board meeting as a fender-bender, the Oakes feel differently. They received an estimate of $4,456.33 to fix the damage. Photo courtesy of Ralph Oakes.
A close up of Ralph Oakes’ SUV with the Berlin plow truck pressed against it. Photo courtesy of Ralph Oakes.

I had to be at a doctor’s appointment that morning, and the roads had not been plowed yet. This was about 8 o’clock in the morning. I got half way down the mountain, and my SUV slid sideways in the road, and I could not go anywhere. My SUV was blocking  of the road. So I walked home to call [Highway Superintendent] Jim Winn’s wife to let Jim Winn know that my SUV was blocking the road and to watch out for it. So instead of Jim Winn coming up and checking it out first he sends Roger Vincent, the plow driver at the time, and he tries to take a big snowplow truck uphill and around my SUV which was blocking the road, and he hits my SUV and he and my SUV end up down the road about 50 feet. And now the Town doesn’t want to pay for the damage that the Town truck caused.

 

Thanks for your time,

Ralph Oakes

Satterlee Hollow Road, Berlin

Editor’s Note: The details of an event like this are always hard to verify and to reconcile. Highway Superintendent Jim Winn said at the January 8 Town Board meeting that the Town’s Mack truck suffered no damage. Mr. Oakes supplied the Eastwick Press with a preliminary estimate from Action Chevrolet in Troy which sets the cost of repairs at $4,456.33. Several side panels need to be replaced as does the broken rear side window. To the Oakes, this is a big deal.