Jan 7, 2025 By Paul Paterra 3 min read

Just in time for Christmas, Rick Cameron and his family were told they would be receiving a settlement for their collapsed Carroll Township home.

“It was really nice to hear that,” Cameron said Monday. “I was sitting here with my family – my kids and grandkids. I just happened to pick up my phone and look at my email and I saw that. It was pretty amazing.”

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.

With 30 years of construction experience, Cameron decided to refurbish their home. In March, he started what would be the last project, lowering the basement to allow for more headroom. However, the house began to collapse.

No one was hurt and all their 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 eventually moved to a rental property about a quarter-mile from where their home once stood.

Cameron declined to disclose the settlement amount, as he said the process is not completed.

“They said they needed until (Jan.) 15 to finalize everything and finish out their estimate,” Cameron said. “So, we’re going to wait it out and see what happens.”

Justin Tomczak, a spokesman for State Farm, said the company was happy to see the matter reach this point.

“We were pleased to see this matter move forward with settlement for aspects of the claim,” he said. “There are ongoing efforts with the other insurance carrier that also insured the property. With all claims, we welcome any additional information from the policyholder or their public adjuster as we seek to provide all available benefits under the policy.”

Stephen Hnat, the insurance adjuster hired by the Camerons, has said all along the collapse should be covered under State Farm’s policy.

“They basically did pay out the policy limit,” Hnat said. “Once they start rebuilding, they will owe them additional funds that will have to be incurred. It’s covered under the terms of the policy.” The settlement will be the first step toward Rick, his wife, Shelly, two children and a grandson moving back to the property the Camerons called home for 15 years at 1652 Fourth St. With Rick’s extensive construction experience, he can handle much of the work.

Cameron said it has been a frustrating nine months waiting for a response.

“It was horrible,” he said. “I still can’t understand why it has to take that long.”