John Matthews
WMAL.com
SILVER SPRING — (WMAL) A local civil rights group is threatening to sue whomever is judged to be responsible for the fire and explosion that killed seven people and left dozens homeless last month at the Flower Branch apartment complex in Silver Spring.
CASA is seeking compensation for the residents whose homes and belongings were destroyed, however one insurance expert warns that process could take years, with any compensation used to pay legal bills rather than replacing items lost in the flames.
“They’re going to have to make a case of negligence and pursue it in the courts,” says Mike McCartin, president of College Park-based Joesph W. McCartin Insurance. “And in many cases, it’s too expensive to do that. The court process could take two years, and these people need to go to work tomorrow with new clothes on,” he adds.
Landlords are required to carry insurance, “but their coverage isn’t going to provide any first-party property coverage,” says McCartin. “It’s going to put that building back up, and that’s it,” he says.
Many landlords require their tenants to purchase their own renters insurance to cover the loss of personal belongings. It’s unclear how many, if any, tenants of the Flower Branch apartments carried insurance.
“Our trade association did a research project and found that only one-third of renters purchase coverage, so it’s not unusual that they didn’t purchase it,” says McCartin.
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