Eileen and Dan Drake of Lima, lost their home at 7398 Main St., Lima, on Jan. 13, when it became filled with 4 feet of raw sewage due to a clog caused by baby wipes and grease. The clog in the Lima sewer mains was not on their property, but rather, in the Village of Lima
sewer mains, which backed up into the Drakes’ house through their lateral line.
Amazing Property in Lakeville! 5707 Big Tree Rd
585-503-8750
The Drakes, who lived in their home with Eileen’s 88 year-old mother, realized they had a problem when they noticed water rising in their toilets. At first, they started bailing the clear water out, using large garbage cans which they dumped outside. But the level was rising faster than they could bail, and the water was becoming brown sewage; it wasn’t long before sewage filled their basement to a four-foot level, destroying their belongings, but more importantly, the furnace and hot water heater, making the house unlivable. It also created an environment for mold, bacteria, and sewer gas in their basement.
Crews pumped the sewage out of the house, at Drakes’ expense, and when the back-up was reported to the village, village maintenance went to work trying to identify where the sewer mains were clogged. They found the clog in the main line, and after much effort, were able to dislodge the clog of baby wipes and grease in their main lines with a jet power pump, allowing the mains to run clear, and stop backing up into the Drake’s home.
According to Eileen Drake, “we just had our lines cleaned last October, as part of regular maintenance. This didn’t happen on our property, but in the village lines. However, neither our insurance nor the village’s insurance will pay for it.” “I don’t have anything against any one here (in Lima),” commented Drake. So when the fire dept. asked us to grab a few things and go, we went to my daughter’s apartment since she was away. We stayed there 10 days until she returned, and an apartment opened up for us. but we had no place to go….I don’t know what we
would have done if it weren’t for this person…” Said, a village worker in a Feb. 12 phone interview, who was involved in unclogging the main, “It was baby wipes and grease, and it was hardened; we can see the line is flowing well now, but people should know better. When you get online, there are all sorts of stories of people trying to sue the makers of these baby wipes because they don’t break down, not even the flushable ones….this clog was not coming from the Drake house; it came from somewhere else, but people should know better than to throw baby wipes in the toilets.”
The Drakes’ insurance company won’t pay for the damage since the damage started in Lima Village mains, not on the Drake property. The village insurance won’t pay either, saying the village did not cause the problem, and maintain the pipes “within reason.” When asked if litigation was a possibility, Ms. Drake replied, “Well, we’ve talked to a few people, but this type of thing is such an unusual occurrence, that no one really specializes in this kind of thing…however, we have talked with one lawyer we thought would be a good fit, but haven’t yet started a lawsuit. Apparently, we didn’t have a rider on our insurance to cover this, and the village’s insurance doesn’t cover either. But we can’t afford to fix it, and can’t sell it or move back in as it is right now, either. We don’t even have water at the house now.”
“It looks like we have no choice but to litigate,” said Mrs.. Drake. “We got a letter today from the village, and they are not going to help us, and are already starting to change their story, saying it’s our fault.” Senator Pat Gallivan’s office was contacted, and reports the village “will not budge” in their denial of any claim the Drakes have against the village for the damage.
