Syracuse, N.Y. -- Donna Babcock was driving home from work in the rain and couldn't see the pothole in the dark, but she sure felt it.
"It physically hurt," Babcock said.
It hurt her car and wallet, too: Repairs to her 11-year-old BMW were more than $2,000. Fortunately, her insurance company covered all but the $500 deductible.
This frigid winter has been a bad one for potholes across the Northeast. (Watch the video above to see how many we found last week.) One Central New York paving company owner said it's the worst winter he's seen in 35 years of doing business.
Donna Babcock points to the spot on Park Street in Syracuse where she hit a pothole and her car sustained more than $2,000 in damaged. The pothole was patched over shortly afterward.
Public works crews have been fixing holes, but in the winter they can only use temporary patch that can break up in a day under heavy traffic. Long-term relief won't come until April, when the asphalt plants open up for the season and start producing permanent filler.
Babcock said it was dark and raining on Feb. 21 when she hit the pothole on Park Street near the Regional Market. She was coming home from work when the front right tire bottomed out.
"I told my husband it was like the Grand Canyon in there," she said.
The steering didn't feel right, Babcock said, but she was able to drive the car the five miles to her house. At the repair shop the next day, she found out the car had a broken tie rod, bent rim, damaged tire and a broken bumper. The total bill was over $2,000.
Babcock filed a police report about the pothole.
"A few days later, it was patched over," she said.
We're building a map of the worst potholes in Central New York. If you find one, add it to our database.
Here's the insurance claim Babcock filed:
Pothole Damage Repair Estimate
Contact Glenn Coin at gcoin@syracuse.com or 315-470-3251. Follow him on Twitter @glenncoin