IP Democracy: Verizon Fios Build-Out Forces Family to Flee House

This entry really belongs in the “best of blogs,” only I could find no blog entry about it. It seems that in the process of building out its Fios network in Northern Virginia, Verizon practically destroyed a family’s home, wiping out household finances at the same time. According to this article in the Washington Post, a Verizon subcontractor was digging in the backyard of Amanda and Richard Di Donna in Vienna, VA laying fiber cable when the crew hit a mis-marked power line, causing the home’s electrical wiring to melt, all the appliances to short out and the house to fill with smoke.

What followed was an ordeal to get their house and lives back in order that has not ended, the couple said. They spent more than four months in hotels and apartments with their 2-year-old son while repairs were underway. Their dog had to stay at a kennel. Amanda Di Donna spent the final months of her second pregnancy uprooted and gave birth about seven weeks before the couple finally moved back into their gutted and rebuilt house last month.

The couple claims they are still owed $14,000 for the damages from the company, UtiliQuest, that mis-marked the power lines. Verizon, however, hasn’t copped to its role in the family’s disaster — the telco claims UtilQuest is at fault. Verizon spokesman calls the situation a “very unfortunate incident.”

Posted by Cynthia Brumfield on September 19, 2005 7:55 PM to IP Democracy