‘It’s hard to look at it’: Pennsylvania family told to demolish home after it collapsed during a reno — now they’re battling with their insurer, who refuses to cover ‘total loss’

"We did a lot of renovations inside, outside, but recently we decided to dig down in the basement to get a little more headroom … and something happened," Cameron told KDKA News in Carroll Township, Pennsylvania.

Cameron’s crew rushed to evacuate his wife and five children from the home and added supports to brace the walls, but the collapse worsened. Now, the house is a total loss and Carroll Township, where the family lives, says it must be demolished.

"It's hard to look at it,” Cameron said. “Every time I think about when I got to start tearing it down, it's going to be hard."

To make matters worse, the Camerons have been battling their insurance company, State Farm, after receiving a letter stating it will not cover the damage. But they have been proactive. Here’s how they’ve handled the situation and what you can do if it happens to you.

The insurance company hasn't been responsive

After receiving the denial letter, Rick hired a public adjuster, Stephen Hnat, to help. Public adjusters are independent insurance professionals trained to help individuals navigate the homeowners' insurance claim process.

"First thing I … do is basically read the policy to see what he's entitled to," Cameron’s adjuster, Stephen Hnat, said. "It became a real battle just trying to talk to (State Farm).

“We asked them several times to, you know, explain your position on this, and they just refused,” he added. “(The insurance representative) would not respond. He wouldn't do anything."

Although Cameron and his crew did the work, the damage is covered under their policy. According to the adjuster, Cameron’s policy includes additional coverage for collapse during construction. Even if the construction crew is partially at fault, the policy should cover the damage as long as it's not intentional.