Earlier this month in Houston’s Rice Military neighborhood, an 18-wheeler from 6G Transport drove down Detering Street and struck low-hanging power lines, pulling them down and leaving seven homes without electricity for nearly a week.

The fallout: Residents say they spent about $20,000 to hire a private electrician and fix the damage after both the trucking company and CenterPoint Energy denied responsibility for the repairs.

• Homeowners tried to get 6G Transport to pay, but the company said it may not be at fault and suggested the lines were too low or the city should have posted warnings.
• CenterPoint said they fixed their own equipment but would not pay for private property damage caused by a third party.
• People in the area, like Dana Davis, felt stranded by both the company and the power provider: “We were literally and physically in a position of being powerless.”

With Houston temperatures running high and no clear help from either side, residents had no choice but to pay for repairs themselves, reported Click2Houston.

The homeowners have now contacted an attorney, giving 6G Transport’s insurance provider one week to reply before they head to court.