HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Another round of complaints from drivers in the Alle-Kiski Valley: shards of metal flattening or popping their tires. It’s the same issue Channel 11 told you about back in February.
Two months later, people still want answers.
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Terry Clark takes Route 28 every day between Tarentum and Harmar. In the last week, she noticed something shiny in her tire. Clark said she knew exactly what it was: a familiar-looking shard of metal. It’s one of thousands that drivers have reported seeing along Route 28, Route 908, and Freeport Road in Harrison Township, Natrona Heights and surrounding areas.
“I was lucky enough that they could plug the tire, so I didn’t have to get new ones, but some people weren’t,” Clark said.
On Wednesday, we checked back in with Fuzzy Simon Tire, whom we’ve spoken with previously, to see if they, too, have seen this issue recently.
“We pull them out of the tire (and think) I guess they’re still around,” said Marcus Wardle of Fuzzy Simon Tire. “It’s not nearly as bad as it was before, but we still got a handful of them over the last few weeks.”
Clark said she is grateful she spotted the metal shard and immediately went to get her tire patched. But she, along with plenty of others, wants to know where this metal came from.
“That’s a lot of money to be out for someone that’s being neglectful and not covering their loads,” Clark said. “I don’t expect to be reimbursed for what it costs me. I mean, that would be nice, but for as long as it’s been going on, and they’re not doing anything about it.”
Back in February, Harrison Township police put out a statement that they were speaking with local manufacturing facilities and scrap yards to try to find out where these pieces of metal are coming from. Channel 11 checked back in on Wednesday to see if police could provide an update on the investigation and have not received a response.
If this has happened to you in Harrison Township, you can file a claim with police.
Fill out the required fields and select type: “Road Hazard.” Under the “CONDITION DESCRIPTION” text box, include the following:
- The affected vehicle license plate state and digits.
- The date and approximate time that you experienced the damage.
- The roadway where you believe you sustained the damage.
- The amount of costs incurred to repair your vehicle and the name of the business where it was repaired.
Drivers are encouraged to save their repair receipts and any metal shavings they find in their tires.
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