Somewhere on the West Beltline is a golf ball-size rock - allegedly owned by Dane County - that's going to end up costing Dan Geier a lot of money.

And somewhere in the county's highway and risk management departments and insurance company, there may well be a fair argument for not reimbursing Geier for those costs - although he'll probably never hear it.

Geier says he was driving behind county dump truck No. 1804 on the afternoon of July 6 when the truck hit a bump and a few pieces of gravel, including the offending rock, shook loose from the truck's tailgate.

The rock bounced off the pavement and hit the front windshield of his 2006 Kia Rio, he said. The impact was hard enough that "I actually almost kind of ducked down."

The mishap left a small pockmark and an inches-long crack that has since grown to more than a foot.

Geier filed a claim with the county on July 20 asking it to cover the cost of repairing the windshield. It included a two-page description of the July 6 incident and a $300 auto shop estimate.

More than two months later, he got a letter informing him the county had denied the claim.

SOS attempted to determine the county's rationale for its decision and found, well, not much.

County risk manager Dan Lowndes said the county's Highway Division was charged with investigating the claim. Its description of the incident is one sentence long: "Did not have any knowledge of stone falling off of truck on 7-6-09 on 12 westbound at time of incident (chipped window)." Based on this less-than-detailed report, along with Geier's description of the incident, the county's insurer, Wisconsin Municipal Mutual Insurance Co., recommended against forking over the $300. The county Public Protection and Judiciary Committee and full County Board agreed.

Lowndes maintains the county handled Geier's claim appropriately but also said that more expensive and more involved claims get more attention from county officials. Paul Rusk, chairman of the county committee, said Geier can appeal the county's decision in small claims court. That would cost Geier about $96, lawyers' fees not included.

Paul Vetter, the county highway supervisor who signed the county incident report, did not return multiple phone calls from SOS.

Geier, who recently had his hours cut at work, said $300 might not be a lot of money to the county, but it is to him.

- Chris Rickert

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