WILLOUGHBY, Ohio — Michael West and his Willoughby mobile home neighborhood were left with plenty of unanswered questions after a delivery truck snagged some low-hanging AT&T phone lines, leaving them with thousands in damage.
West suffers from COPD and needs around-the-clock oxygen therapy, and told News 5 the accident, which toppled four FirstEnergy power poles, left him and some of his neighbors without power for nearly three days, forcing him to move to a hotel. The Willoughby Fire Department evacuated parts of the neighborhood during the August 8 incident due to the potential fire and electrical hazard.
“It sound like a train hitting the side of the house, it was a really big loud thud,” West said. “I was sitting on my couch, and the utility pole fell approximately three feet from where I was sitting. It hit the top of the house, damage at the top of the house and scraped down the side of it.”
"I had to keep my oxygen tank running because I couldn’t do it here, so we had to go somewhere else to get electricity."
Willoughby police report the driver of the delivery truck owned by State Courier Systems Inc. was not cited at the scene because the AT&T phone lines were not within National Electric Safety Code, which states phone lines must be at least 14 feet above the ground.
State Courier Systems showed News 5 a copy of a check for more than $3,700 paid out by AT&T to cover the cost of repairs to its truck involved in the accident. But King, who showed us damage estimates on his home and shed of more than $7,000, said he and other neighborhoods were told AT&T would not cover their damage claims.
“I kept emailing her, emailing her, sending her pictures of the damage on the side of the house. I got a letter last weekend telling me AT&T was going to deny my claim," King said.
News 5 contacted AT&T headquarters about this case and the utility responded immediately, sending insurance adjusters back to the neighborhood on Oct.10. The company issued the following short statement:
“There were many factors in this unfortunate accident and we have our insurance company evaluating Mr. King’s claims. We did not employ the company whose truck was involved, but we understand the trucking company has claimed our wires were struck.”
FirstEnergy responded to our story and issued the following power line safety information in response to this case:
While we're unable to provide details about this particular incident; in most cases, the at-fault party would be responsible for covering the costs of utility damages and repairs related to the accident.
Public safety is our top priority. This is an unfortunate reminder of why it is imperative for contractors to examine their job site upon arrival and search carefully for overhead power lines and utility poles. Conditions can easily change and some equipment may be hidden by trees or buildings, so it's important to check the site thoroughly and frequently.
When bucket trucks or cranes are being used for a job, contractors should always maintain at least 20 feet of clearance around a power line or electrical equipment.
We encourage contractors, and the general public, to visit www.firstenergycorp.com/publicsafety [firstenergycorp.com] to review important tips to stay safe while working around electricity.
Meanwhile, King is hoping he'll be issued the insurance coverage to pay for the crucial repairs to his property.
“This is my house, this is my home, this is where I live, and my kids come here and I want to have a safe environment for them up until this happened," King said. “It’s very frustrating and it’s a slap in the face because all that we wanted was our house to be the same that it was when we moved in.”
News 5 will follow up on this developing story.
