Carroll Township family still waiting to rebuild home
Rick Cameron is quite frustrated.
The three-story, wood-framed home he and his family lived in had to be torn down in August, five months after it began to collapse during a home renovation project, and the Carroll Township man still doesn’t know if State Farm Insurance will cover their claim.
“It’s been a little over nine months and we still haven’t gotten an answer,” Cameron said recently. “The public adjuster I hired has been emailing them weekly. They just haven’t told us anything. We might get a letter every couple of months that says the investigation is still ongoing. It’s their policy; they wrote it. Why does it take nine months to interpret it?”
For Rick, his wife, two children and grandson, moving forward means moving back to the property the Camerons called home for 15 years at 1652 Fourth St.
With 30 years of construction experience, Cameron decided to refurbish their home. In March, he started what he said would be the last project, lowering the basement to allow for more headroom. However, the house began to collapse.
Nobody got hurt and all belongings were retrieved.
The family moved to a hotel while Cameron tried to fix the house, but another wall collapsed. Township supervisors voted to proceed with an emergency demolition in August.
The family has since moved into a rental property about ¼ mile from where their home once stood.
The house is decorated quite festively for the holiday season, but Cameron said it’s not their home.
“You can see it in (Shelly’s) face,” he said of his wife. “She’s not happy being here. Nobody is. She’s trying her best to make it home.”
The couple’s insurance company initially denied the claim, saying a collapse wouldn’t be covered by their homeowner’s insurance.
But the couple said in the past that their policy covers “collapse under construction.”
Stephen Hnat, the insurance adjuster the couple hired, agrees.
“Under their policies, collapses are covered,” Hnat said. “During the course of construction, anything due to contractor error, they will cover it. It’s kind of straightforward as far as I see it. We don’t see anything that points out why it wouldn’t be covered. (State Farm representatives) have not responded. They’re just saying they need more time. We’re still just sitting, waiting.”
Hnat said that under the Pennsylvania Unfair Claims Practice Act, the insurance company must keep them informed that the decision is being delayed and give a time frame of when it is expected to be resolved.
“They haven’t done that,” Hnat said. “They aren’t really doing anything. They’re just sitting on this.”
Hnat also said if the claim is denied a reason why has to be provided.
“The state requires them to tell us a reason why they’re denying the claim,” he said. “We can either combat that or take it to court. We’re going on 10 months with no result.”
Roszell Gadson, a State Farm spokesperson, said the company is working on the claim.
“We continue to work with our customer on this active claim,” Gadson said. “We believe the property is insured by another insurance provider, as well as State Farm. We will continue to work with the insured’s public adjuster and other carrier to resolve this claim.”
Meanwhile, Cameron remains anxious to rebuild on his property, which he drives by regularly and sees the empty lot.
“It’s horrible,” he said. “It’s just an empty feeling. It’s a reminder of what happened. I just want to move forward.”