No Renter's Insurance Hurts Fire Victim|ABC 13

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No Renter's Insurance Hurts Fire Victim

posted 11:24 pm Thu October 23, 2008

reporter: Josh Farmer posted by: Webteam

tags: fire • blaze • burn • house

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ABC 13 - No Renter's Insurance Hurts Fire Victim

Lynchburg, VA - For one Lynchburg family, life as they know it went up in smoke this week. Tina Hamilton says she never thought to buy renters insurance. The result has been catastrophic.

We met with Ms. Hamilton and she's completely devastated. At this point, her family has been left with nothing and little hope to build on.

Tina Hamilton, Fire Victim - "What you see is what you've got. And, this is what we have."

It's not much -- three days after an oil heater turned Tina Hamilton's bedroom into a fire pit. It's not much when you're raising three children. It's not much, but for three years it was home.

Hamilton - "We didn't have fancy stuff, but we were okay. You know what I'm saying? We weren't hurting."

This is Tina's second visit to the home since it burned Monday. It's a little easier than the first time. Not much, really.

Hamilton - "The guy told me -- I guess it was an inspector, in a white car -- he came up and told me, he says, 'It's going to be okay. I looked at him and I says, 'I don't know if it is or not.'

The Red Cross has Tina and her children back on their feet for now. They're staying at a local hotel, but the aid runs out on Friday and Tina's living on disability. Those checks don't come out until November third.

Hamilton - "I feel like I'm lost. I feel like this is a bad nightmare."

For a mother, though, this something no boogey-man ever thought up.

Hamilton - "My three year old walks up to me and says, 'Mom, I'm hungry.' I don't know. I don't know what to do. I've lost."

The images are unbearable. So is the reality. But for now Tina is holding on to the only thing she has: hope.

Hamilton - "Maybe God will touch me."

There is a benefit account set up in Tina Hamilton's name if you're interested in helping out. It's at the American National Bank and Trust Company on Graves Mill Road in Lynchburg.

Ms. Hamilton might have saved herself a lot trouble by getting renters insurance. There are some things you'll want to think about before going without. According to Statefarm.com, most people own more than $20,000 dollars worth of property.

If you think you don't have that much, you could be surprised at how quickly CD's, books, even shoes add up. A common myth is you don't need renters insurance, because your landlord is covered. Not true. In most cases, a landlord's insurance only covers structural damage to the building. The average cost of renter's insurance is $10 $20 dollars per month.

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Talkback: No Renter's Insurance Hurts Fire Victim

giorganni

2:41 pm on 11/10/08

i as well lost eveything in a fire including my deceased fathers belongings. No , i didnt have renters insurance either. Instead of people being sorry that i had lost every thing, the first question always is"why didnt u have insurance?" whats really bad is the owners insurance company said theyd cover the damages, and then try to come after me for reimbursment. dosent that mean they are getting paid twice? MY advice to insurance companys- if you dont want to pay for the damages your supposed to covering, DONT BE AN INSURANCE COMPANY!!!!!!!! As far as im concerned, somebody owes me some money, because the fire dept never found the cause of the fire! And they took 20 minutes to get there! Then i find out my nextdoor neighbors had a key to my place the whole time i was living there, and they guy that used to own it was a crazy drunk who would bring propane tanks in the house and try making fires in the kitchen all all sorts of ccrazy stuff. I honestly think i was set up, i think the owners and the neighbors set up a plan to go in when i was gone and start a fire. What for? for the insurance money.

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