A married couple from Kamloops, B.C. who’s been living in a hotel since an RCMP cruiser smashed into their home in December says they are being denied compensation from the Mounties’ insurance company.
Carla and Wayne Sjodin say the Dec. 7 crash destroyed their kitchen, damaged the structure of their home and caused a flood in the basement. The driver of the cruiser, a local police Constable, was pursuing a drunk driver at the time.
While waiting for repairs, the Sjodins wracked up a roughly $5,000 hotel bill – and have now been told the RCMP’s insurance won’t cover it.
Wayne says the company ruled he and his wife should have toughed it out in the house after a temporary kitchen was installed.
“There was basically a countertop with just a sink, and that’s what the RCMP and the landlords wanted us to come back to,” he said. “We can’t use our stove, we can’t use our dishwasher … our floors are covered with all kinds of stuff we don’t know, from the asbestos probably.”
The Sjodins paid rent for December and say the landlords have told them they’re on the hook for January and February too.
Carla showed CTV News around the couple’s living room, a clutter of bags and boxes from the kitchen, before breaking into tears. “You have no idea how tough it’s been for us,” she said. “This is our home. And who’s going to do the cleanup afterwards? We will be stuck with it.”
“I’m not really too sure how or why they would think we could move back in.”
The couple has spoken with a lawyer, but was told their only recourse is to take the matter to small claims court.
A call to the Sjodins’ landlord in Vancouver was not returned, and the RCMP was unavailable for comment.
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