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Resident says sewer/storm drain backups totaled car; city offers $500 deductible payment, legal remedy advised
Summary
A Darling Street resident reported a storm-drain backup that damaged and totaled a car; the resident says the city offered $500 (insurance deductible) and seeks additional remedy; the mayor said DPW will inspect the drain and the solicitor's office advised the resident to pursue legal channels for additional compensation.
Lieutenant McTavish (first name not recorded) told Wilkes-Barre City Council that stormwater and sewer basin backups on Darling Street have caused recurring flooding at his residence and that a July flood totaled his vehicle.
McTavish said he submitted repair estimates, photographs and insurance documentation after the July incident; he said his insurance company declared his car a total loss and that he has since purchased another vehicle. He requested regular cleaning of a sewage drain that runs the length of the one-way portion of Darling Street, along with installation of at least three smaller storm drains at problem points he identified (Tank Hill, near St. John’s Cemetery and the residential stretch of Darling Street).
“I was offered $500 the cost of my insurance deductible,” McTavish said, adding that he found that amount insulting and that no further remedy regarding the drain installation had been offered. The mayor and council said they would have DPW inspect the drain and that installing additional stormwater lines would be a large engineering and expense question that the city could not commit to during the meeting.
Mayor George Brown told McTavish DPW would go and inspect the situation “if not tomorrow, Monday,” and confirmed the city solicitor had already discussed the claim process with the resident. The mayor noted that a claim payment had been made for the insurance deductible and that any additional compensation would be handled through legal channels and the solicitor’s office.
The transcript records McTavish requesting reimbursement for the total loss of his 2013 Hyundai; the mayor and solicitor’s representative told him the insurance payment and any dispute about additional funds would be handled through legal processes. The council did not commit to installing new drains during the Sept. 25 meeting; city staff said expanded stormwater work would require engineering, design and substantial expense.
