When the roads deteriorate, so does the access.
Jenny Breguet from Yarrawonga cares for her 90-year-old mother full-time, and the pair are currently without transportation due to damage from a pothole strike on the Murray Valley Hwy two weeks ago.
Ms Breguet’s mother has spinal issues and can only get in and out of their Mazda, which is now being held for six weeks while the front end is being checked for damage.
While they haven’t missed any medical appointments yet, thanks to help from Ms Breguet’s daughter, it is definitely a possibility.
“Your car is vital, everything you do, you need your car,” Ms Breguet said.
“It has a massive impact on your life.”
The impact shredded a tyre and damaged a rim.
Ms Breguet and her mother often travel to Shepparton and other areas to visit wineries and enjoy dinner together.
“We love getting out together,” Ms Breguet said.
“We’re feeling really housebound, and we’ve got a bit of cabin fever.
“It’s really hard on Mum, it’s not good for her mental health.”
The impact with the pothole caused Ms Breguet’s mother to be in pain, and she now refuses to be driven around at night for fear of another incident.
Ms Breguet has had two other pothole strikes, causing damage to her tyres.
The first incident happened two months ago in Yarrawonga when heavy rain filled the pothole and lowered visibility.
Ms Breguet could not see it coming and lost a tyre.
On Wednesday, July 1, she was driving home in similar conditions on the Goulburn Valley Hwy after visiting her son.
Ms Breguet was only travelling at 90km/h in a 110km/h zone due to safety concerns.
She struck a pothole around 20km north of Nagambie and momentarily lost control of her vehicle.
She nearly struck a barrier, but was able to avoid it.
Ms Breguet waited 40 minutes for assistance from the RACV, and when they arrived, the representative told her that he had assisted five other drivers who had lost tyres on the same pothole.
Her drive home was very slow, as her space-saving spare tyre could only safely manage between 60 and 70 km/h.
Repairs have cost Ms Breguet around $2500, which has put her under financial strain because she is a pensioner.
She said that when she spoke to VicRoads, she was told that she could only receive compensation for damage over $1600 and that she would have to prove that the damage occurred after the pothole had been initially reported.
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