LR Man Demands Compensation Over Wrongly Demolished House
By: Brittney Johnson, KARK 4 News
Updated: November 1, 2012
A man whose home was accidentally destroyed is still fighting for answers. The city hired a contractor to remove an abandoned house, but they say, it's not their fault the wrong one was knocked down.
It's been more than two months since the home Jessie Vernon hoped to renovate was demolished. He says he is angry that no one has stepped up to compensate him for what he lost and that no city leaders are stepping in to make sure it happens.
Walking around the now empty lot, Vernon can still envision what was once a piece of investment property he hoped to fix up one day.
Vernon said, "Someone wasn't doing their job and it falls on me as if I'm supposed to take the loss."
Now both lots are clear but Vernon is still fighting to get someone to clean up the new mess.
"The insurance company, the city they can't back out of it and say they didn't have anything to do with it, but they're part of it, if they had been here and had a better understanding with their contractor it wouldn't have happened," he said.
The city is blaming it on the contractor for moving forward without confirming the project with the city. While Vernon has made claims, he says the contractor's insurance won't pay, and even though the owner offered to clean up the lot and get him another house, he contends, the offer wasn't enough.
"It was worth something to me whether they think it was worth something or not," said Vernon.
Grant Youngblood, the owner of the demolition company says he offered to replace Vernon's home with one in the neighborhood, but the two have not been able to come to an agreement.
City officials have been asked not to comment on this issue pending any lawsuits.
It's been more than two months since the home Jessie Vernon hoped to renovate was demolished. He says he is angry that no one has stepped up to compensate him for what he lost and that no city leaders are stepping in to make sure it happens.
Walking around the now empty lot, Vernon can still envision what was once a piece of investment property he hoped to fix up one day.
Vernon said, "Someone wasn't doing their job and it falls on me as if I'm supposed to take the loss."
Now both lots are clear but Vernon is still fighting to get someone to clean up the new mess.
"The insurance company, the city they can't back out of it and say they didn't have anything to do with it, but they're part of it, if they had been here and had a better understanding with their contractor it wouldn't have happened," he said.
The city is blaming it on the contractor for moving forward without confirming the project with the city. While Vernon has made claims, he says the contractor's insurance won't pay, and even though the owner offered to clean up the lot and get him another house, he contends, the offer wasn't enough.
"It was worth something to me whether they think it was worth something or not," said Vernon.
Grant Youngblood, the owner of the demolition company says he offered to replace Vernon's home with one in the neighborhood, but the two have not been able to come to an agreement.
City officials have been asked not to comment on this issue pending any lawsuits.
