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LAWNDALE, Calif. () — Some residents in Lawndale say a public works project has damaged their homes, and they can’t get the responsible party to pay for repairs. They say construction has literally shaken their homes, causing cracks, among other damage.
It’s hard to ignore the numerous cracks across the ceilings, walls and concrete in Jim and Tracey Kelly’s home.
“Plaster ceilings falling down. I had to do kind of a repair so it didn’t fall on us on the couch while we’re watching TV or something,” Jim said.
The damage is a constant reminder of the pounding from a nearby Los Angeles County Public Works construction project. They say it caused a long list of problems.
“It did feel like an earthquake. So, the whole house was shaking, the windows were shaking,” Tracy said. “Then you know, we started to see the cracks in the ceiling and, like I said, the oven went out, the plumbing shifted. And so, we had to have a new drain put in.”
Jim needed to do some repairs himself because of the damage.
“Cracks in walls, doors that won’t open and shut properly. I’ve had to file down some doors so they’ll shut,” Jim said.
The couple reached out to 7 On Your Side for help after they, and many of their neighbors, were denied coverage by Travelers, the construction company’s insurance.
“You guys have a great reputation,” Jim said. “I’ve seen some of your stories on the news, and it looked like you would be very helpful at it.”
The issues center around Public Works’ Alondra Park Stormwater Capture Project, which sits in an unincorporated area of L.A. County known as El Camino Village, near Lawndale.
Numerous residents recorded the repeated pounding vibrations that rattled their homes over several weeks and the subsequent damage they say it caused last July.
“It’s not an earthquake, but it felt like it, and there was a couple instances where there was vibrations for hours,” Miguel Gamboa, an El Camino Village homeowner, said.
The Kellys weren’t the only ones with visible damage to their house.
“We went outside, and it had this big, long crack on the side,” James Verhein, another El Camino Village homeowner, said. “And then, around the other side, I’ve had two cracks involved in my stucco.”
L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell says at least 25 homeowners have received a blanket denial from Travelers Insurance, which represents the contractor.
“It was never our expectation that homeowners would have damage,” Mitchell said. “We are going to hold the contractor and their insurance company accountable.”
Mitchell says Public Works launched an independent investigation and says she has personally reached out to the Insurance Commissioner’s office.
Travelers released a statement, saying, “All claims are carefully reviewed against policy terms and available evidence, and we conduct investigations before determinations are made. In this case, our analysis concluded that the reported damages are consistent with non-vibration mechanisms, such as pre-existing conditions or natural settlement, rather than being the result of nearby construction activity.”
Homeowners in the area say the numerous videos tell the story.
The Kellys say they were told by Travelers that they needed to get their own vibration expert to prove the construction work caused the damage in order to successfully dispute the insurance denial.
“They’ve been stringing me along over at Traveler’s Insurance, their insurance company, for the past six months, and finally got a denial of my claim because they said the vibrations, according to their studies, weren’t intense enough to cause the damage,” Jim said. “But the damage to my house says the vibrations were intense enough to cause the damage.”
Eyewitness News has reached out to the California Department of Insurance, which said residents can contact the agency to submit a formal complaint. You can reach CDI at 800-927-4357 or via chat at insurance.ca.gov.
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