TIA construction mistake causes $20K damage to man's truck
TAMPA (FOX 13) - We've all seen the construction at Tampa International Airport, but one man says that construction work cause major damage to his truck.
The dimples on Deron Kauble’s truck look a little bit like glitter, but the strange coating is not decorative. After parking for two days in the economy garage at the end of the airport near the construction, Deron says he returned to find his brand new truck covered in the speckled film.
He believes workers were spraying a sealant for concrete, and it blew onto vehicles in the garage.
Kauble filed a complaint with airport police, which notes two cars next to him had similar material on their windshields. But TIA’s claims department determined the damage indicates Kauble drove through something.
“That would mean I drove across the causeway at the same time as those vehicles. I was driving in reverse, and yet, we all went to the airport, arrived at different times, yet all managed to park next to each other in the garage?” Kauble told FOX 13 News.
TIA offered him up to $1,000 in what they told us was a "gesture of good will,” but Kauble says that won't cover the cost of repairs, according to quotes from two Ford dealerships and an independent auto body shop.
Kauble says a detailer provided by the airport spent half an hour on one spot, trying to clean the film away, but with no luck.
“Both detailers and the dealerships have all said all the exteriors, the lights, bumpers, the plastic trim, the trim on windows, the side steps, the wheel, has to be replaced. The truck has to be pulled apart, sanded completely, repainted,” Kauble said.
The cost for all that is an estimated $20,506.
TIA officials said their insurance company sent out a sample of the material on Kauble’s truck to test it against what the airport is using. Their claims process has now determined that the issues with his truck were likely caused by "activities at the airport."
The airport said, “There's a lot of construction going on at the airport... They go to great lengths to minimize the impact -- however accidents happen.”
The airport promised to take "the appropriate action to make adequate repairs," saying, “Customer service is a top priority,” and they apologize for the inconvenience to Mr. Kauble.
If you think your car got damaged due to the ongoing construction at TIA, contact the airport’s claims office, or stop at the toll booth and ask to file an incident report.
The complaint will be handled by their risk management department and they determine whether it’s rejected or turned over to the airport's insurers.