Business Owner Claims Decatur's Insurance Company Won't Pay Their Claim

DECATUR, GEORGIA - According to an online news report published on Decaturish.com, a small business owner reported that two of his business buildings did not have electricity for more than three weeks due to an accident.*

The business owner said that the damage to the buildings was caused by a sanitation truck owned by the City of Decatur. The sanitation truck was wrecked, causing a power outage in the City of Decatur on August 4th. The incident resulted in the evacuation of the DeKalb County courthouse. News reports stated that the sanitation truck's hydraulic-lift arms were raised and not dropped while the sanitation truck was moving. The truck then struck a lot of power lines, causing the lines to fall onto the roadway.

One local real estate developer stated that the city would not cover the damage caused by its sanitation truck driver. Decatur officials stated that the city has already done everything to make it right. The real estate developer also stated that the accident caused damage to their building's electrical wiring. Repair estimates state that it will cost over $20,000 to repair. At first, the city's insurer offered to settle the issue for $6,000. Then the city stated that its insurer cut the developer a check for $21,081.77. However, the claimant states that he has never received the check, and the amount would not cover the cost of the damage. He has received two estimates: one for $26,500 and one for $29,000.

To make things worse, Georgia Power stated that they would not reconnect power to their building until the electrical wiring is repaired. 

According to the claimant, city officials failed to notify him of the incident. He claims that he discovered the damage on his own.

The Decatur City Manager explained that all claims are handled by the City of Decatur's insurance company and that the check was issued on August 22nd. The City Manager also stated that city staff could not settle claims. 

Power was turned off in the area after the accident in order to make the scene safe for their crews to make repairs safely. Typically, property owners are notified. City officials stated that the claimant's buildings were unoccupied, and there was no imminent safety or fire risk identified for the claimant's property. However, the City Manager stated that she regretted this accident happened, and they are sorry for the inconvenience all impacted property owners and business owners suffered.

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes. To learn more about our injury prevention programs, please visit iridesafe.com. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or a family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Source:

https://decaturish.com/2022/08/property-owner-says-decaturs-insurer-wont-cover-full-costs-after-sanitation-truck-cut-power/

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