Chopper 7 was on the scene as at least 30 vehicles were left with flat tires on the northbound Tri-State Tollway in the Justice area on Monday morning.
The reports came in around 8:30 a.m. from Interstate 294 near 83rd Street.
According to Illinois State Police, the damage was caused by an 8-foot-by-3-foot pothole.
Chopper 7 flew over the scene around 9:30 a.m., capturing footage as crews worked to repair the reported potholes.
Crews shut down the two right lanes to begin repairs. The lanes were closed for several hours, resulting in significant backups and delays.
“It was like a huge boom, and my car swerved slightly. “And then I was able to pull to the side, and that is when I realised there were already 15 people pulled over,” said Tiffany Slaughter, whose truck was damaged.
Slaughter is currently looking for a rental car while her Dodge Ram pickup is in the shop.
She needed to have her truck towed, as did at least a dozen others.
Slaughter estimates that the hole was the width of an entire lane and one foot deep. She claims crews quickly filled the hole with gravel.
“I saw it from a distance and could not get over. But once I got up on it, I realised it would not clear my tires,” Slaughter explained. I called the Illinois Tollway.
Obviously, I received a voicemail to file a claim. I left a voicemail with the police report and instructed them to contact my insurance company. So it is just a waiting game at this point, which is ridiculous because everything could have been avoided.
Officials believe heat contributed to the pothole.
Nobody was injured in the incident.
