By REBECCA SLOAN

By REBECCA SLOAN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
WOOSH! THE snowplow barrels past your house, walloping your mailbox with a tidal wave of wet, heavy snow.
In a split second, the snowplow is gone, and so is your mailbox -- mangled and buried.
Before you make a trip to the local hardware store to buy a new mailbox, check into getting your mailbox replaced by the road department.
Mailbox replacement rules will vary depending on where you live.
IF YOU LIVEIN PENNSYLVANIA
In Mercer and Lawrence counties, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will replace mailboxes only if they've been struck by a snowplow.
"We will not replace a mailbox that has just been knocked down by the heavy snow that flies from the plow," explained Joe Grippo, assistant county maintenance manager of Lawrence County.
Of course, the arc of heavy, wet snow that flies from the plow is usually what knocks mailboxes over.
"Eighty percent of the time, it's the heavy snow that damages the mailbox and not the snowplow. Only rarely will a snowplow get too close to the mailbox and actually hit it. We always send someone out to investigate what caused the damage to the mailbox," Grippo said.
Investigators search for snowplow tire tracks, dents in the mailbox and other telltale evidence.
But despite the routine scrutiny, Bill Marceau, assistant county maintenance manager of Mercer County, said people frequently tell fibs about snowplow damage in an effort to get new mailboxes.
"People try to take advantage. If they have an old mailbox with a rotten post, they might try to say a plow hit it just so they can get it replaced, but we can usually tell when a plow really hit a mailbox and when it didn't," Marceau said.
Grippo said that by law, mailboxes are in the right of way, so the state is not technically responsible for replacing them.
"We replace them as a courtesy to the public, not because we have to," Grippo explained.
Of course, if you live on a Pennsylvania road that's plowed by a township or municipality snowplow, don't call PENNDOT for a mailbox replacement.
"PENNDOT only plows state roads," Marceau clarified. "If your mailbox is hit by a plow and you live on a township or municipality road, you will have to call the township or municipality office to see what their rules are."
Also keep in mind that PENNDOT's replacement mailbox will be a standard, metal mailbox.
"We won't replace Rubbermaid mailboxes or other types of specialty mailboxes with an identical mailbox. We use a standard, rural mailbox as a replacement," Grippo said.
Replacement work occurs promptly, and usually within one or two days after the accident, someone from PENNDOT will come to your home and install a new mailbox, Grippo said.
IF YOU LIVEIN OHIO
The rules for mailbox replacement are a little more lenient in Ohio.
In Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties, for example, county road crews will replace mailboxes whether they've been struck by a snowplow or whether they've simply collapsed under the weight of the heavy snow that was thrown from the plow.
Of course, this rule applies only to people who live on county roads.
"People who live on township, state or city roads will have to contact the township, state or city road department for specific information on what they are entitled to if their mailbox is damaged by a snowplow," said Ann Prentice, of the Trumbull County Engineer's office.
Ohio county road crews use the same metal replacement mailbox that's used in Pennsylvania.
"We use a standard metal mailbox as a replacement," said Bill Gibson, administrative specialist at the Mahoning County Engineer's office.
"People get really upset because they want their Rubbermaid mailbox replaced, but we only use the standard metal mailboxes."
Of course, some folks happily take what they can get, and Gibson said this might be a wise thing to do.
"It is not a state law that we have to replace a mailbox if it's hit by a plow. We do it as a public relations courtesy," Gibson said.
Bert Dawson, Columbiana County engineer, said mailbox maintenance can help keep mailboxes standing tall during the worst of winter weather.
"Lots of people let their mailbox posts get rotten or they just stick a post into a cement block, so the mailbox isn't secure to begin with," Dawson said. "If that's the case, of course it's going to come down if it's hit by slush and snow from the plow."
Dawson suggests taking care of the mailbox you have as well as keeping it far enough off the road.
"Some people put their mailboxes too close to the road. We recommend putting them about 6 feet back from the road if possible," Dawson said.