MATTHEWS, N.C. — A portion of a brick wall enclosing a neighborhood collapsed during severe storm Saturday night.
A portion of a wall enclosing a neighborhood and facing Sardis Road fell on Saturday night
The homeowners whose properties line the wall own the barrier, which means they have to front the majority of the costs associated with it
A city of Matthews spokesperson said it would be up to the HOA and residents to replace the wall
Lori and Jay Doolittle have lived in Benton Woods, a neighborhood with 96 homes, for more than 16 years.
They were watching the storm with strong winds from their kitchen.
“The lightning, and then the thunder, and then the rain, it was just torrential,” Lori Doolittle said.
She had her husband recognized the sound when part of the brick wall lining a few backyards, including their own, came down.
"We heard a major loud boom and the house shook,” Lori Doolittle said.
On Monday, drivers couldn’t miss the damage when driving on Sardis Road.
“It’s just a mess,” Doolittle said.
According to the Doolittles and other neighbors, this is not the first time part of the wall collapsed. It also happened eight years ago during another storm.
“I was totally surprised. I would have never thought it would happen again,” Doolittle said. “I was totally surprised. I would have never thought it would happen again,” Doolittle said.
The homeowners, whose properties line the wall, own the barrier. This means eight years ago those affected, including the Doolittles, fronted most of the costs.
According to the Doolittles, they paid more than $25,000 to fix their part of the wall.
Some of their neighbors pitched in to help after the Benton Woods Homeowners Association held a fundraiser. The money raised was split among the neighbors impacted.
An official cause has not been determined for the collapse this time around. However, the Doolittles don’t believe the cause is structural.
“We did everything the architect and the engineer said to do,” Doolittle said. "It was the other stuff going on: the water pressure and the amount of water and the lack of drainage."
Doolittle doesn’t think they would be able to pitch that amount now, especially if there’s an underlying issue that has not been fixed.
For now, they have a temporary fence up while they go into next steps.
“Something has to be done because it’s just going to happen again,” she said.
According to the Benton Woods Homeowners Association, there is the potential that other homeowners may pitch in.
They also want to take a look at the root of the cause of the problem to see if there’s any assistance the city of Matthews can provide.
Monday night, a city spokesperson said it would be up to the residents and the HOA to replace the wall.
