- Chicago man frustrated after years of trucks damaging his home
- Robert Christie lives near a low bridge, trucks reverse into his house
- Despite barriers and warning signs installed by the city, the city cited him for failing to repair damage to his home, including the roof and chain-link fence.
A Chicago man may be forced to move out of his prized bungalow after enduring years of trucks backing into his home and causing damage.
Robert Christie lives near a low bridge, and yet, even though the crossing has many warning signs, many truckers don’t seem to notice until the last minute, forcing them to make awkward U-turns in the middle. Of the road.
He says the vehicles are so huge that they crash into his house when reversing and often cause damage.
The property’s fence was knocked down and he says the trucks are crashing into areas of the house’s exterior, including beige brick and gutters.
Despite barriers and warning signs installed by the city, the city cited him for failing to repair damage to his home, including the roof, gutters and a chain-link fence.
Robert Christie lives near a low bridge where trucks make a U-turn and suddenly reverse toward his house.
Christie says he has counted about 200 incidents in the last 10 years alone.
Even though the problem was not his fault, Christie, 55, who has owned his bungalow since 2003, has been cited several times by the city for failing to repair damage to his home.
Now Christie is considering whether it’s all worth it and is about to leave the property for good and reluctantly thinks about selling it.
When he asked it Chicago Sun Times If he really wanted to move, he was hesitant: “Not really, but the price is right.”
Robert Christie estimates that in the last ten years there have been 200 incidents that have caused damage
The trucks are so big that when they make a U-turn they frequently hit the house.
A letter from the Department of Buildings to Christie states: “The department believes that such alleged violations continue each day after the inspection date, until evidence has been presented to the department demonstrating that such violations have been adequately corrected.”
A department spokesperson has since said no action will be taken against Christie.
‘“There is no enforcement action pending and there is no risk of fines or penalties,” Michael Puccinelli said, although he noted that a citation could actually help him sue for damages from drivers who crash into the property.
He has installed surveillance cameras outside his house to record any accidents and have evidence when trying to file claims against transport companies.
Photos from the last ten years rarely show a time when there wasn’t some kind of damage.
It costs between $2,500 and $7,300 each time to repair damage to the home
Despite having his roof and gutters repaired multiple times at a cost of between $2,500 and $7,300, Christie wants the city to install concrete barriers instead.
The city has previously installed “bumps,” which are raised concrete sections of the road designed to narrow it and discourage trucks from backing down its street.
Additional signs were also put up to warn drivers of the impending danger, but they appear to have made little difference. He believes it is only a matter of time before another collision occurs.