Mishawaka man picking up pieces, weeks after police chase destroys garage
A Mishawaka man could be out thousands of dollars, after a police chase ended with a crash on his property six weeks ago.
A stolen car was used in the chase, and crashed right through Jerry Krugh's garage. His garage, and everything in it, still is in shambles.
"There was a chase, and an individual had stolen a vehicle in South Bend, and came into Mishawaka, and was chased down our alleyway, and rolled the vehicle in my garage," recalls Krugh.
Krugh remembers the night of March 21, vividly.
That's the night Timothy Welch allegedly stole a Jeep in South Bend, and headed to Mishawaka.
Police chased him up Merrifield Avenue, when Welch lost control and crashed right into Krugh's garage.
"It was a little overwhelming. You think, why did this happen to us?" says Krugh. "I walked around and said 'Oh my god, that's sitting on my Harley."
His family is left picking up the pieces, literally, six weeks later.
They still don't know how much this is all going to cost them.
"It's looking like its going to be a pretty big amount. I did a materials list and we're over seven-thousand dollars, just in materials," explains Krugh.
He said his insurance wasn't covering nearly what he expected.
ABC57 News did a little digging, and spoke with Matt Leliaert, the owner of Leliaert Insurance Agency.
Leliaert says, it's all about what kind of homeowners insurance you have.
"Most good homeowners policies are written on replacement costs, and would cover a vehicle running into their home," he explains.
Insurance companies are the first line of defense to make sure those responsible, pay up.
In this case, Leliaert believes the suspect, Welch, should be held liable.
"It's the suspect, because they're the ones that caused the damage," he says. "Just because the police were chasing them, I can't imagine they'd be held liable for something like that. They were doing their job."
Krugh's Harley and four-wheelers weren't covered by his homeowners insurance, much to his dismay. They required motorized vehicle policies.
Now, he's hoping others make sure that they're protected, so they won't have to jump through the same hoops.
"There's something to be learned by everything," he says.
"The lesson is, have a good homeowners policy, adds Leliaert.