BALTIMORE — Homeowners are having to wait patiently for Baltimore City to process property damage claims.
More than three years after a sanitation truck hit her home, Shirley Smith hasn’t yet received compensation from the City’s Law Department.
“Backed up and the whole side of the house, boom! I mean, the whole side of the house shook,” said Shirley’s son.
To collect trash on Smith’s block in Pigtown, the truck has to reverse down an alley. Sandwiched between a home and an electrical pole, there’s no room for error, but over the years, there have been several.
The first time the truck hit Smith’s home was on September 13, 2019, and again in 2021. Scrapes all along the side of her home indicate there could have been other times.
"Look over the window that’s what we’re worried about,” said Shirley’s son.
Smith said it’s an eyesore for her neighborhood, but cracks in the walls and gaps between bricks are what worry her.
"I feel like they just don’t care about what happens to me,” said Smith. “I’d just like to have it fixed and to know if it’s safe to live in."
Smith received a letter from the City Law Department on July 9, 2020 with a claim number. Since then, communication has been sparse.
"I feel like they just don’t pay attention to my calls or my letters," Smith said.
And at 86 years old, she's struggled to submit the necessary paperwork. She’s called different companies for estimates, but only one person showed up to her home.
"He said, ‘I think you’re going to have to get an engineer because it might be more damage than this,’” said Smith. “They're leaving it all on me to get someone to fix it.”
On the north side of the city, Margaret Craig knew if she wanted her fence fixed, she'd need to move quickly after a trash truck tore it up.
"This happened on September 7th, I’ll never forget it. My niece’s birthday, 2021,” said Craig.
Despite submitting her claim within days of the accident, she waited and called then emailed WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii in May.
Sofastaii contacted the City about her claim. That same day, Craig received a call from the Law Department.
"They had no paperwork. Everything I sent them they did not have, they wanted me to re-send,” said Craig.
It took another two months, but her check finally came.
"It’s common courtesy. If I file a claim, you should at least get back to me after two or three months or something. I shouldn’t wait a year to hear from you. I heard nothing until you did what you did, and I really appreciate that,” Craig told Sofastaii.
The Law Department said there was a delay in investigating her claim because of employee turnover. A spokeswoman sent the statement below:
"The Law Department’s Central Bureau of Investigation received Ms. Craig-Wees’ claim for property damaged. Although there was delay in investigating this claim because of employee turnover, CBI has expedited this matter and has approved payment of the requested funds. CBI regrets the delay in receipt of the necessary claims records to investigate this matter and acknowledges that the delay was not the fault of the claimant. It appreciates her patience to resolve this and is happy to conclude the matter amicably."
WMAR-2 News requested information on how many claims have been submitted since January 2021.
Of the 2,422 claims received through July 31, 2022, 904 were denied, 453 claims approved, and 1,065 were still pending as of August 8.
Of the claims approved, checks are pending for 13 percent of cases.
Smith, however, is still waiting for a response.
"I had some trash in the backyard, they were really fast to hand me a ticket. I paid my ticket right away but that was all they were worried about was the money, they weren’t worried about what they’ve done to me,” said Smith.
Sofastaii first emailed the Law Department on September 27 requesting an update on Smith’s claim and sent several follow-up emails. The Department hasn’t yet provided information on her claim.
This story will be updated with their response.
If you believe the City is responsible for damage done to you or your property, document everything then file a claim as quickly as possible with the Baltimore City Law Department. Claims must be received within one year of the date of the incident.
Alternatively, property owners can file a claim with their homeowner’s insurance, but in Smith's case she doesn’t have any.
Below are links to file claims in other counties:
