A Central West End couple said garbage trucks have caused thousands of dollars to their historic property. Now, they turned to 5 On Your Side's PJ Randhawa to get answers about why the city won't pay up.
Donna and Tim Goodson take pride in their historic 1912 home, but every week, when the garbage trucks come down their alley, they were afraid the trucks will take the trash but leave behind damage to their property.
"I was going to get a placard and hand out fliers at city hall because I was so disturbed by it," Donna Goodson said.
Goodson was disturbed by the cracks, chips and holes appearing in her back wall every garbage day. Goodson and her husband noticed the damage in March and they say the city's garbage trucks are to blame.
"When the dumpster hit the wall on the outside, it displaced the wall to the interior. So it shifted all the components of the wall and fractured this pillar," said Timothy Goodson, Donna's Husband.
Some of the holes on the back of her historic Kingsbury home are so bad, you can pick pieces out of them.
But who's responsibility is it now? The Goodman's said the damage will cost up to $12,000 to repair, but the city didn't agree.
"There is no independent confirmation that a refuse truck caused the damage," said St. Louis City Counselor Michael Garvin said in a statement.
"It was done by the dumpsters, I saw it and called police," said Donna.
Garvin said a generous settlement offer was made to the Goodson's but they rejected it.
"In this case, the Goodsons requested replacement of three pillars and portions of a wall that were not in the area that the refuse truck supposedly struck," said Garvin via email.
The Goodsons said if they can't come to an agreement after all these months, their next step will be legal action
"Why should our insurance company have to pay, and the insurance company have to pay for something the city clearly did," said Donna.
"The city and its contractors carry insurance," Timothy said. "This is what insurance is for. accidents happen. it wasn't purposeful...it just needs to be made right."
Garvin said anyone with similar claims should contact the city's Citizen Service Bureau. You can reach the bureau at: (314) 622-4800 or on their website
