HOUSTON — Hurricane Beryl left a nightmarish reality for so many in the Houston area, including one single mother.
“This is the first house that I've ever bought by myself, and I'm 50 years old," Reagan Wyck told KHOU 11. "This is for me and my daughters. I worked really hard to get this house. To see it destroyed like that, in a matter of seconds, I can't even describe how devastating it is."
Wyck explained the powerful storm caused a large pine tree from a neighboring lot to crash through her home.
“I jumped out of the bed, and hugged that wall," Wyck said. "Literally hugged the wall, and everything came crashing down."
She's grateful to be alive and grateful her daughters weren't home when it happened. What she’s not happy about is what she said she found after taking a closer look at the tree. She claimed the was rotten and that she found proof of a termite infestation.
“What I would like to do is hold this guy responsible for neglecting a tree that was clearly rotten and that devastated two families' lives,” Wyck said.
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She said she has had a difficult time contacting the owner of the lot because it is owned by an LLC.
“His name isn't even on the property,” Wyck explained.
John Black of the Daly and Black law firm explained normally in the state of Texas, if a tree from a neighbor’s lot falls into your home during a natural disaster, you're responsible. There is an exception.
"In situations where you think your neighbor did something wrong or failed to do something, which we call negligence, and in those instances it may be your neighbor's fault, at least partly,” Black explained.
When it comes to tracking down the person behind the company that owns the lot, Black recommends heading to the Secretary of State’s website, where you can find the registered agent for any LLC operating in the state.
“That's the person that the company, the LLC, has designated as the person to receive notices,” Black said.
Black said the Secretary of State's website should have an email, phone number or address listed. You can use that information to hopefully track down an owner and try to recover your costs.
If you would like to personally help Wyck in this challenging time, you can do so at this link.