Family of boy who died playing with fireworks gets a bill for damages
Caleb Freeman died in 2007 while playing with fire. Now the family's landlord is seeking compensation for damage to the apartment. By Tom Adams and KVAL Web Staff
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - The family of a 4-year-old boy killed in a fireworks-related fire in a Springfield rental home last year has been hit with a $7,500 bill for damage related to the blaze, money they say they don't have.
"I don't understand how they can get away with doing this after I already lost my son," said Kevin Freeman. "I feel like they're suing me for the life of my son." On July 4, 2007, little Caleb Freeman was found dead in a bedroom closet where family members had been keeping fireworks in preparation for the holiday. Police found matches and a lighter next to the boy's body. Officials believe he died of smoke inhalation in the closet fire. Over the weekend, the family was served with a small claims notice from Account Collection Bureau of Springfield for $7,500, plus 9 percent interest and court fees. Kevin Freeman claims a representative of the company that owns the property, Umbrella Properties, told him on the day of the fire that all costs would be covered by its insurance and not to worry. Umbrella Properties owner Chuck Shepard said the company only promised that rent charges would stop. The insurance carried by Umbrella has a $10,000.00 deductible, and Shepard said insurance covered $35,000.00 of the total estimated damage of $45,000.00. "But more than that, Umbrella Properties is not particularly going after them," Shepard said. "This just got turned over to collection." That happened, Shepard said, because Freeman didn't respond to an earlier bill for damages sent out by Umbrella. Freeman said he didn't pay because of the earlier assurances he thought had been made. He said he told the collection agency the same thing and thought everything was fine - until the small claims notice arrived. "I don't know, I can't afford a lawyer or anything," Freeman said. "I guess I'm going to try to take it to a jury trial and see what the jury has to say, but I don't know." Freeman's father-in-law, Robert Mann, admits they left behind trash after the fire and a clean-up fee of a few hundred dollars would have been in order but not a claim for $7,500.00. Freeman has two weeks to contest the small claims notice in Central Lane Justice Court. |
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