Murray, Utah — A carport collapse trapped a sleeping occupant inside Murray's apartment building early Monday morning.
Residents of Revolve Apartments woke up around 1am to find that the carport had collapsed, leaving several people trapped.
"We heard a loud crash," said resident Alexus Basry. "Things were broken."
She thought it was her upstairs neighbor.
"When you go outside, you can see the whole carport on the ground," Basley said.
A collapsed carport prevented her family from exiting the building.
"When you go down the stairs, you're just walking on the carport," says Baslee.
The crew took the carport apart to get a good look at the vehicles underneath so that the occupants could have a walkway out of the unit.
Baslee said officials at the scene told her the carport was doomed to fall given the weight of the snow and was rusting.
"They basically said it was doomed. It was rusty," she said. "They went around and looked at the others and tried not to fall."
No one was hurt, but several cars were damaged, including Basley's mother's. She said that to her surprise, her mother's car was under a carport and she suffered only minor damage.
“There is one small crack in the windshield,” says Baslee. She said, "I think the rift could get bigger eventually, but I think she might do something with insurance eventually."
That's where Bill Penton, owner of Penton Insurance, comes in.
"The first thing you should do is call your insurance agent and let them know something happened," he said.
In some situations, people like Baslee's mom may be able to get help through car insurance, he said.
"If your car is only a liability and not all-inclusive, you'll have to be on your own and get back after the apartment complex's insurance," Penton said.
He said the tenant must prove that management was not paying due attention.
“If a storm comes in, as it has in the last few weeks, and the weight of ice and snow builds up, did the apartments take enough care to remove it? To prevent collapse? If they didn't, they could be held liable for damage to your vehicle," Penton said.
If the renter doesn't have comprehensive auto insurance, you'll have to take care of the issue yourself, although it will cost you.
"You'll have to ask the complex manager. Who is your insurance through? Then get the phone number and policy number and call the company," Penton said.
He said that if the client has a comprehensive insurance policy, it is likely that they will not have to deal with the apartment manager.
"If it's inclusive, they may make a claim on your policy and advise you to let the insurance company deal with the apartment complex," Penton said.
Penton said that if Basley's mother, she might be covered.
"If it's repairable, go ahead and fix it. If you have comprehensive insurance, that's glass coverage, and the glass company works directly with the insurance company," he said. I got