Company demolishes wrong house – owner was on vacation

Atlanta
Company demolishes wrong house: woman returns from vacation and is faced with rubble

Susan Hodgson was stunned when she returned from a trip: a company had demolished her house – without her knowing about it.

When Susan Hodgson returned from vacation, she found herself in front of a pile of rubble. That was all that was left of their house. The building in Atlanta (US state of Georgia) was demolished while she was away.

No wonder the American is upset: “I’m angry. I wake up and think: ‘Is this a joke or something?’ “I’m just in shock,” she told The Associated Press. A neighbor had informed her by telephone that the house she owned was being torn down. Even when asked by the neighbor, the demolition company’s employees did not allow themselves to be dissuaded from their work. Hodgson then sent a relative to the house – and when he protested, the workers realized they were at the wrong address. They had simply demolished the wrong house.

House uninhabited for 15 years

At least: Susan Hodgson and her family did not become homeless as a result of this mistake; the house had not been inhabited for a long time. It had been boarded up for 15 years, she told US media. Nevertheless, she and her family took care of the maintenance, mowing the lawn and keeping the yard clean. She also always paid her taxes.

Hodgson has reported the incident to the police but is still investigating the situation with her lawyers. The demolition company has not yet contacted her, she says. It is therefore still unclear how the error could have occurred. Susan Hodgson is stunned: “It’s hard to believe that someone thinks they have the right to just come along, tear something down and walk away without apologizing,” she told local station Fox 5 Atlanta.

Sources: Fox 5 Atlanta / AP

Watch the video: A construction worker uses a wheel loader to try to topple the supporting pillars of a house that is being demolished. But he probably didn’t really think the action through.