A Maryland man is furious after having his family home destroyed by a barrage of snow and ice chunks thrown by a storm cleanup crew that shattered windows and littered his lawn with glass.
The Silver Springs family was awoken by shaking walls and loud crashing noises Saturday around 1 a.m. Elias Saboura and his wife initially thought a tree or another object had crashed through part of their home, reports Fox 5.
“We storm out of bed and run to the kids,” Elias told the local Fox affiliate. “The kids are screaming bloody murder. We grab them. What is scary is, as we were moving in the house, apparently the truck was moving, so I could hear the damage just following me.”
Elias called the police, who told him to contact the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) Monday, which he followed through on. He was then put in contact with the state treasury office which told him it would take months to investigate the incident, reports Fox 5.
The Daily Caller News Foundation spoke with the Maryland State Highway Administration, which confirmed all incidents like this move through the Maryland Treasurer’s Office, which handles investigations and covers reimbursements.
“We absolutely agree that no one should have damage from snow operations and apologize for the situation,” the Maryland State Highway Administration told The DCNF. “The maintenance team has been made aware and they are taking steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again – and that they are aware about areas adjacent to residences. We expect the local maintenance shop to contact the gentleman and visit if he wishes.”
Elias says his real worry is removing all the glass from his yard, especially with young children around. He says he is willing to foot the bill for the damages through his homeowners insurance, but wants the state to take responsibility for its mistake.
“I’m going nuts,” Elias told Fox 5. “I’ve got glass all over my backyard. I’ve got kids who live out here in the spring and the summer. I have no idea where to start cleaning and then the state adds insult to injury saying we have to investigate this and somehow figure it out and then we’ll come help you.”
Cleanup continues following the historic blizzard that swept through the region. Nationwide property damage is expected to total over $2 billion. In Maryland officials say they expect property damage costs to be in the tens of millions, reports WTOP. Unlike the Sabouras, most residents had their property damaged by the storm, not the state.
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