PAINTER, VA — It has been nearly three months since a vehicle crashed into a house along Route 13 in the town of Painter in Accomack County.
Homeowner Shereen Adney said she was running errands the evening of October 21 when the accident occurred.
"I was going right here to the Dollar General when I got a phone call from my daughter saying that my, our house had just been crashed into," Adney said.
The 76-year-old driver of the vehicle died on the scene. Adney said her children were in the home when the crash happened.
"It's been rough," Adney said of how her children were doing. "They're not happy about losing their stuff but it's like I told them, it's very blessed they're still here with us. Everything is replaceable, but their lives aren't."
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) closed the right southbound lane of Route 13 after the second floor of the home collapsed, sending debris onto the roadway.
Accomack County inspectors visited the home after the crash.
County Administrator Mike Mason said the address of the home in the incorporated town of Painter limits what the county can do.
“While we’re sympathetic to the issue, we don’t have the authority under Virginia code to intervene in this action,” Mason said.
The town of Painter has the authority, but Mason said there is a scenario where the county could get involved.
“If there were a funding shortfall and they came and reached out to the county, the board of supervisors, we would try to help out with that," Mason said.
For Adney and her family, the situation remains challenging.
"I've been in contact with the insurance company every single week," Adney said.
In addition to contacting insurance, Adney said she has been in regular contact with Accomack County Building and Zoning, Painter Town Officials, VDOT and potential contractors for the eventual demolition.
"They said because of the location, because of the highway, they don't want to do it," Adney said of the contractors she has reached out to.
In a statement to WBOC News, VDOT said the right land of Route 13 south will remained closed to prevent the threat of additional collapse from impacting travelers.
