In late August, Baton Rouge’s Eric Washington was at home when he heard a disturbing sound. A semi-truck’s trailer caught onto a low-hanging wire connected to Washington’s power line, ripping the box from the side of the house. It also severed the power connection to his home.
The accident caused severe damage to the side of his house and put a hole in his roof. The repair estimate from contractors was around $6,000, and without the funds to repair it, he’s been without power ever since.
This holiday season, starting with Thanksgiving, he was left in the dark.
“You know, it’s just been hard,” he told WBRZ. “I would love to have my kids over to cook like I usually do but that didn’t happen.”
Without power, he made the difficult decision to rehome his dog and had to rent a gas-powered generator to have a few hours of power every day. It’s $30 per day, which is an expense he didn’t see coming.
The trucking company said it wasn’t their fault
Entergy, an energy company that provides power for several southern states, issued him a check for $3,500. Washington said he deposited the funds into a savings account while he saved up the remaining $2,500.
“These holidays make it even worse,” he said.
The trucking company told the outlet they denied fault for the damage to Washington’s home. Its insurance company told Washington in November the claim was under “final review.”
Viewers had sympathy for Washington and encouraged him to take action
Several were not surprised the trucking company denied fault. No one said Washington should be responsible, but all agreed who was: the power company.
“Either the truck was too high, (not likely with a beverage truck) or the power line was most likely too low! And that is on the power company unless the support structure on his house was failing,” wrote a viewer. “This shouldn’t be that complicated!”
Someone else said a pro bono law firm would make plenty of money if they took his case.
“Now a lawsuit needs to get started by a competent law firm that will do it pro bono,” they wrote. “This poor man is a simple everyday person who has been stomped on by a company who doesn’t care about anyone but themselves.”
Another viewer called on the power company to evaluate Washington’s situation.
“The power company doesn’t do those things anymore? The power company should be fixing that, but this is 2024 so I guess not!” they wrote.
