Demolition Crew Tears Down Wrong House

Charlotte Observer ^ | 07/10/03 | Associated Press

[bedolido]

PHOENIX - Jenny Lopez's home is a pile of rubble after a demolition crew mistakenly tore down the wrong house.

The house that was supposed to be demolished Wednesday was across the street from Lopez's, where she had lived for 30 years. Although the home was vacant, the family stored household items there and had hoped to sell it.

House numbers in the southwest Phoenix neighborhood are not well-marked and all the mailboxes sit on one side of the street, making identification difficult.

Foresight Investment Group of Phoenix hired contractors to tear down the house across the street from Lopez's. It was vacant, boarded up and fenced in.

"We were either going to sell the property or build a new house," said Joe Uruquart, one of the company's owners.

One of Lopez's old neighbors spotted the heavy construction equipment in her yard and alerted family members. But when they arrived, the house had already been torn down.

Demolition man David Gomez declined to comment about the incident but told a television station that he would probably lose his job.

[TomServo]

Demolition man David Gomez declined to comment about the incident but told a television station that he would probably lose his job.

Ya think, Gomer???

[4mycountry]

I think this calls for a "hold muh beer" alert.

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[Just another Joe]

I smell $$$$ in the air for this family.

[Hildy]

Didn't this exactly scenario happen on Married With Children??? Sounds bad now, but the owners will get more for the house from insurance than they could have by selling!

[DainBramage]

"I thought something was wrong when the clothes and family momentos kept getting caught in the dozer tracks."

[dwilli]

My house was destroyed by Hurricane Fran in 1996. My neighbors house was damaged but repairable. The guvment
hired contractors to knock down buildings that were beyond repair and marked those to be razed with large XXXX.s from
spray paint cans. The contractors knocked my neighbors
house down by mistake. His settlement was enough to build
a house twice the size of his damaged home.

[Vesuvian]

Thank God no children or pets were inside.

[Bill Davis FR]

mistakes are hell...

[SerpentDove]

It's not nice to laugh at the misfortune of others.

BWAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

[chimera]

Sounds bad now, but the owners will get more for the house from insurance than they could have by selling!

If so, hopefully the insurance company will subrogate that claim to those responsible for the loss. No sense making other policyholders of the company pay (through eventual higher premiums).

[Hildy]

I disagree with your assessment about the lawsuit with the demolition Co. If this keeps being talked about in the news, the demolition co. will be glad to pay it off. Not good business and if the neighborhood is as bad as it sounds, the settlement won't be too paintful. That, of course, is all dependant on the owners...if they're greedy, all bets off.

[BrooklynGOP]

Jenny Lopez's home is a pile of rubble after a demolition crew mistakenly tore down the wrong house

Now's she's really "Jenny from the block".

[bedolido]

I read this story (really I did) and didn't make the J-Lo connection. Good catch.

[Hildy]

I still think the demolition co will pay. It WAS THEIR fault, I don't see how they can argue it. They even have the guy on tape saying he'd lose his job over it.