City responds to damage caused by broken sewer pipe in Jefferson City
A Jefferson City family of five reached out to ABC 17 News this week after a broken city sewer pipe backed sewage up into their basement.
ABC 17 News talked to the family who said they couldn’t get the city to pay for the damage. We also went to city hall to get answers for the family.
After our questions, the city is now taking a different approach.
The family’s basement was flooded about two weeks ago causing more than $20,000 in damage.
They’ve gone back and forth with the city and its insurance company, but got nowhere.
ABC 17 went to see the damage firsthand, something the city’s insurance company refused to do.
“They denied the claim immediately.”
Brandon and Aubrey Coker told ABC 17 the city’s insurance company said they’ve seen a flooded basement before, so they didn’t need to visit to see the damage.
Furniture and belongings were ruined by the water, along with the interior of the basement.
“I went to check on the dogs and there are two men down in the manhole doing something. They were city workers,” said Brandon.
City officials told ABC 17 News roots were growing inside the main line near the Cokers’ home. Maintenance workers were cleaning the line, but it caused sewage to come up through drains and flood their basement.
The city initially offered them about $2,000 for the clean up, but then offered a bit more.
“They were going to give us $10,000, and as of today, it was considered.”
ABC 17 News reached out to the city attorney, Drew Hilpert, and found out it’s now agreeing with the Cokers, and they’ll be getting more help.
“The Cokers did nothing wrong, they have no fault in this at all. It wasn’t their lateral line,” said Hilpert.
Despite that, the city maintains no legal liability. They said they didn’t know there were problems with the pipe, and that clears them.
“However, we are sympathetic to the Cokers because they did have a fairly major sewer backup,” said Hilpert.
The Cokers believe their nightmare could now be over.
City officials have been in contact with them and an agreement to get their home back to normal is close to becoming a reality.
