Snow removal damage sparks surge in demand at Laval garage

After nearly 74 cm of snow fell on Montreal amid back-to-back storms, snow-removal operations have been ongoing everywhere on the island and beyond.

Since then, the number of repairs at Le Roi du Pneu garage in Laval has gone up by nearly 50 per cent.

With vehicle parking becoming scarce because of the accumulation of snow, 15 per cent of accidents involved snow removal vehicles.

“We’ve had quite a bit of service since the snow, the big snowstorms. We’ve seen a lot of damage caused by the snow removal companies and a lot of damage from the accumulation left by the snow removal companies on the edge of the streets,” said Jimmy Zahnoun, the president and owner of Roi Du Pneu.

“I think it was two back-to-back storms, a lot of snow one time. I think it’s snow that we haven’t seen that much snow in a small period of time in a long time. So, nobody was ready for two big snow storms like this, from people and from a snow remover.”

Zahnoun has seen many vehicles come in, including two that were parked on the road, hit by a snow removal vehicle, and then left behind.

Another customer blew his transmission while attempting to drive out of a snow pile, among other vehicle damages.

“There was a transmission problem from the snow accumulation on the southern road. The guy tried to come out of the snow, spun and spun, and blew his transmission. The engine situation is the same—lack of maintenance from before, the car gets stuck in the snow, revs to the max while it’s cold, trying to get out of the snow, and blows the engine,” Zahnoun explained.

He says that most of the accidents and damages happening to the cars are also caused by snow removal.

“The way they pile the snow on the side of the road, on the cars, and then you have large piles of snow. People try to shovel, but they can’t, and when the city passes by, nobody offers help or is cooperative with the people.”

Another car from a transport company was hit by a snow removal vehicle on the highway. It cut everyone off, smashed the car, and landed it in the ditch.

“Driving on the highway, a snowplow came onto the highway, cut everybody off. The guy lost control of the truck, hit a bus, and ended up in the ditch. So this one, we think it’s a total loss from our estimate, but we’re still waiting for insurance to come and see it and confirm that it is a total loss for the client. So this one is maybe about a $40,000 to $50,000 truck that is going to end up gone,” Zahnoun explained.

In the event of an accident, it is recommended to gather as much information as possible, including the vehicle’s license plate number, the time of the incident, the street name, and pictures, followed by contacting your insurance company.

“Take as much information as possible because, as you know, because of the size of those vehicles, there are two possibilities. If somebody, for example, hits the vehicle and they notice that they hit it and caused damage, and then they run away, that’s a hit-and-run. However, with that being said, very often with these big snow removal vehicles, they don’t necessarily notice that they hit the vehicle. So, the advice for the owner of the vehicle would be to take as much information as possible,” said André Durocher, Director of CAA-Québec Foundation & Road Safety.

“If there’s a number on the vehicle of the city, note the number, the time, the street, and take pictures if possible to gather as much information as you can. Depending on the circumstances or the area you’re in, it may be a city worker, or it may be a contractor that the city has hired. The more information you have, the better it is,” he added.

Durocher adds that every circumstance is different.

Zahnoun. says that a lot of customers are upset, as wait times with insurance are long, causing the garage to become hectic at times, leaving no room to walk or park cars.

“Snow removal companies don’t care, right? They think they have the number one priority, so they don’t think of people. So, they’re very upset about that,” he said.

“There’s a lot of claims in the last few days. Even the inspectors have come and checked the cars. There’s a delay in delay for them to come check the cars. So it’s just delaying everything and piling up cars for us. We have no more room to walk.”

“It’s good for the business, of course, but it’s a bit hectic. So, like for us, we have cars all over the parking lot, waiting to get fixed, waiting for parts, waiting for insurance. With all the big piles of snow everywhere, we’re running out of space. So, employees are doing some overtime to clear up the shop, clear up the cars, and give the best service we can to our clients.”

Montrealer Matthieu Thibault was among those whose vehicle, which he bought only six months ago, was allegedly damaged by a snow removal vehicle. He was told by his insurer that it would cost more than $5000 to repair, seeing as it’s a new vehicle.

“Three days ago, I was working during the night, and when I came back from my work, I saw my car like that.”

“I don’t know what happened during the night, but it was a night when the city was cleaning the streets, so we moved the snow. It’s probably a snow truck, and they hit my car.”

He said his car was visible during the snow loading operation.

“It’s probably difficult to do this job because when there is a lot of snow, it’s hard to see under the snow. But during that night, my car was empty, there was no snow around my car, so it was easy to see my car.”

He called his insurance and filed a claim, and they said they would cover it. He also tried calling the Montreal police but was told they couldn’t do anything.

“It’s a car from 2021. There are a lot of sensors in the front of the car, and the light is broken as well. It will probably cost a few thousand dollars to repair, maybe five or six,” Thibault explained.

He also added that he posted a message in a Facebook group, asking if anyone saw what happened.

Zahnoun is urging those operating snow removal vehicles to show more compassion.

“You see a guy stuck in the snow. You can take a minute to help him out. It’s going to save everybody a lot of problems. When you pile the snow, the city has to review the way they do their snow cleanups, especially on small streets. Everything has to be reviewed, like where they put the snow, how many times they pass, maybe clearing up the roads before the cars that were on the roads the night before, or having dedicated parking spots, maybe ahead of time for people,” he said.

“Try to find ways of helping out people because damages for everybody mean an increase in insurance for everyone. It’s not cool for anyone.”

As for Thibault, he hopes to find a property with a garage.

“I would like to live outside of the city soon, soon I think so. Yeah, if it’s possible to have like a house with a garage and it’s easier and more safe,” he said.