The support of the town hall and the public authorities are doing nothing: the insurers affected by the tragedy in Rue de Tivoli are refusing for the moment to come to an agreement. A year after the terrible gas explosion which blew away the building at 17 and caused two others to fall, killing 8 people in the 5th arrondissement of Marseille on April 9, the survivors are still encountering the slowness of the procedures. .
“It’s depressing,” notes Clair Berroir, 22, a tenant of 22, one of the fourteen buildings still evacuated. We’ve been trying to put things in place for a year and despite the support of important local figures, it’s still a standoff with the insurers and some risk falling into precariousness,” fears the young student in right.
“The impression that I take care of it every day and that nothing is moving forward”
A standoff that the insurers are however leading with the peace of mind of being within their rights: “They refuse to compensate until the criminal investigation is completed to know who to turn to. But it can take several years,” says Claire, who managed to relocate to the neighborhood thanks to acquaintances. The investigation, opened by the Marseille prosecutor’s office as part of a judicial investigation against X for “homicide and involuntary injuries”, promises to be long. A year after the tragedy, “58 civil parties were formed” and only 20 of them were heard by the investigating magistrate, specifies the AFP.
A heaviness that Roland Belessa is reminded of as soon as he passes in front of the gaping hole at number 15 rue de Tivoli, where his apartment was located. “I feel like I deal with it every day and nothing is moving forward. I oscillate between discouragement and anger,” breathes the father of two children. Lately, there have been a series of meetings with the architect who is creating the plans for the future new building: “It was an old Marseille building and with the new accessibility standards (wider staircase, elevator, etc.) we will lose 13m² of living space per level”, or approximately 20% of the surface area of the three lots in this building.
“The financial losses are before me”
The estimate, for the moment, amounts to 500,000 euros for the entire building. His share will be paid by his insurer as compensation but he wonders how, if at all, the loss of surface area will be compensated. “We will also have to see when the criterion of dilapidation will be applied. The financial losses are before me”, assures Roland who fears, in the event of no framework agreement with the insurers, of “finding himself alone and isolated to bleed out”. Because time is on the side of the latter: “I still have my credit falling, with coverage planned for two years by my home insurance, but that may not be enough. Afterwards, I might be pushed to accept a discounted settlement just to cover the credit and move on. »
A situation also encountered by Ronan Michel, also an owner-occupier, for whom his insurance provided for a year of rehousing assistance. “Amicably, they agreed to extend for two months for now. After that ? », asks Ronan who when he can “avoids passing” in front of his building at number 11, which is badly damaged and on which structural work is in progress. “I also suffered damage to the heating system during the security operations. And since it is not directly linked to the accident, I once again have to find the company which had carried out this intervention to recover their insurance. Added to this is 25,000 to 30,000 euros of work to renovate my apartment and with the compensation ceilings I don’t know what remaining expenses I will have. »
This maze of insurers where the victims hardest hit by the explosion of April 9 are caught – 55 households have not yet been able to return to their homes – could, however, see a fairly simple resolution with the establishment of an agreement. framework with a fund which would be supplemented by insurers upstream of the legal procedure. At least that is what Claire, Roland and Ronan are asking for, speaking on behalf of the Tivoli – April 9 collective, supported by the town hall, which wrote last March to France Assurance and the government on this subject. Similar arrangements have already been made in the past for accidents, such as that on rue de Trévise in Paris. But it took three years.
“For all victims of collective accidents, it’s the same fight every time,” denounces Claire Berroir. However, there are 2-3 building accidents per year. It is incomprehensible that there is no legislative development. » To try to speed up the process, the collective of victims is considering preparing, through lawyers, a summary, at least on compensation for bodily injury, to force insurers to commit funds.
So many worries that some people no longer have the chance to worry about. To commemorate the eight residents who died in these collapses, the Tivoli – April 9 collective is calling for a gathering this Tuesday at 10:45 a.m. on Boulevard Pierre, neighboring the now infamous Rue de Tivoli.