Rhodell family seeks help for fallen bridge

Sep. 19--An elderly Rhodell couple must wade Tommy Creek to get their two great-grandchildren to the school bus and to go to the doctor, after their bridge collapsed when a Rhodell Volunteer Fire Department truck was driving over it around three weeks ago, the couple's daughter reported.

After weeks of wrangling with local authorities, an insurance company and Western Pocahontas Land Co., the family said, family members cleaned the fallen bridge from the river on Saturday.

"We can't get anybody else to do anything, and they've got to have a bridge," the daughter, Tammy Lester of Wyoming County, said Friday.

Lester reported being told by a representative of Western Pocahontas Land Co., which owns the bridge and the property around the bridge, stated that the company would not go to the expense of putting a bridge in for use by one family.

Due to a technicality, Rhodell Volunteer Fire Department Chief Patricia Cox reported, the department's insurance company cannot pay to repair the bridge for the homeowners, James and Charlotte Powell.

"The homeowners' hands are tied," the fire chief said Tuesday. "I done what I had to do.

"As soon as it collapsed, I went and turned it in on insurance," she explained. "Because (the Powells) don't own the land or the bridge, they cannot put a claim in (to insurance)."

Cox also reported that Western Pocahontas Land Co. is the owner of the bridge and the land.

Lester, 50, who lives in Barker's Ridge, said that her parents have lived in their Rhodell home for about 50 years.

A private, 40-foot bridge connects their property to Coal River Road.

Her parents -- James, 77, and Charlotte, 69 -- rely on the bridge to access and to leave their house. They must use the bridge when they go to the store, to the doctor or anywhere else. They also rely on the bridge in case they would need an ambulance or fire truck on their property.

About three weeks ago, Rhodell VFD crews drove a truck that weighs under 18,000 pounds across the bridge to check a fire hydrant on the Powells' side of the river.

"They had finished their meter reading up, and when they were coming back across to leave, it collapsed on them," Lester said. "They barely got their truck off without going in the creek."

She said there is about a nine-foot drop to the bottom.

Cox verified Lester's report.

"We was doing our hydro testing that day, and that was the last hydrant of the day," Cox reported. "We went across the bridge. We came back across, and the bridge gave.

"The truck was damaged," she added. "It's in Pennsylvania, right now (for repairs)."

Cox said the Rhodell VFD insurance company paid to repair the truck.

"They had an engineer down there," she said. "They just said it was wear and tear on the bridge. We didn't do nothing wrong."

When the insurance company discovered the Powells did not own the bridge, Cox said, the Powells were barred from filing a claim.

"That's the big problem right now," Cox said. "Pocahontas owns the land."

Lester said the bridge fell into the river and that an excavator was needed to remove it from the creek.

As of Sunday, after the debris removal, the Powells still had no bridge. They must wade the creek to enter or leave their property.

"My husband rented an excavator and made them a road, where they could get my dad's truck out, across the creek," said Lester. "His neighbor let him park his truck in (the neighbor's) driveway, so (Mr. Powell) could wade the creek when he needs to get out."

When Lester takes groceries to her parents, she also wades the creek.

The Powells are rearing their two great-grandchildren, ages 6 and 4. When school is in session, the couple wades across the creek to take the kids to the bus and home, Lester said.

"Pretty soon, it's going to be getting too cold to even wade the creek," Lester said. "The water's getting colder already.

"They have a side-by-side they can cross the creek with, when the river's low," she added. "But when the river gets up, there's no getting across it in a side-by-side, a vehicle, anything.

"How would we even get an ambulance over there?" Lester asked, adding that her mother has health problems.

Lester said she did not ask Rhodell VFD to clear the bridge from the creek bed and that the department did not offer to help.

She said she has asked the Governor's Office and Raleigh County Commission for help in clearing the creek so that the family may build another bridge. She said the Governor's Office staff directed her to Raleigh Emergency Operations Center, and Director John Zilinski said the county could not offer assistance in removing the bridge.

Raleigh County Commission President David Tolliver said this part Tuesday that county engineers and cleanup crews cannot access the river without permission from the West Virginia Corps of Engineers or the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP).

WVDEP Secretary Austin Caperton said Tuesday that he would have DEP staff discuss the project with Raleigh County officials.

On Tuesday, Lester had been hoping for help from some state or local agency. She said the family had exhausted their resources. They just had a simple request.

"At least, get it out of there so we can start building them another bridge," she said. "If nobody's going to pay for it, we understand we'll probably have to pay for it, but the fire department should get the stuff out of the creek, if they have to rent something to do it with."

She added that a county official said that if the fallen bridge is washed downstream in a rain, it could take out additional bridges, some owned by Rhodell.

By Saturday, no help had been given, so the Lesters began the arduous task of removing the heavy debris from the creek.

The family still needs a new bridge.

On Tuesday, the fire chief said that Rhodell VFD -- a small department that is made up of volunteers -- will assist the Powells with things that they may need.

"We took the side-by-side and went up by truck and delivered (groceries) to them," Cox said. "I told them, anything we could do to help them, just let me know, but our hands are tied.

"There ain't nothing we can do right now."

She said that if there is a medical emergency, firefighters will use two side-by-sides to get the Powells or the children across the river.

If there is a fire on the property, she said a safety plan will be followed.

"We're working on a plan for it," she said. "We've pretty much got that under control, too."

It was unclear Tuesday night if Rhodell VFD could request that Western Pocahontas file a claim for the bridge.

Lester said the collapse of the bridge has been heavily discussed on social media, with town residents taking different sides.

The fire chief said she has directed firefighters not to discuss the issue on social media.

___

(c)2020 The Register-Herald (Beckley, W.Va.)

Visit The Register-Herald (Beckley, W.Va.) at www.register-herald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.