Tenants of a Belleville, Ont., apartment are without hot water and six are displaced days after a man was charged with attempted murder after ramming a transport truck into the side of the building.
“When it happened, I thought we would be out for just a couple of days, but now I’ve been told by the landlord that it could be five to eight months,” said Karly O’Connor, a tenant on the third floor of the 24 Union St. apartment building.
According to Belleville police, the incident occurred on Saturday, July 20 at around 11:30 a.m. Police say they found a transport truck crashed into the building and the driver was arrested at the scene. One woman was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The 40-year-old unidentified driver was later charged with two counts of attempted murder, driving while impaired by drugs, breach of recognizance and two counts of uttering threats.
Multiple witnesses tell Global News the injured woman and the accused were in a relationship.
On Monday, O’Connor said she didn’t know where to turn after she was forced to evacuate the building due to potential structural damage and a gas leak, leaving her to pitch a tent. Friday, she confirmed that multiple family members and friends offered accommodations until the repairs were completed, but it was one of her neighbours who opened their door to her and her two-year-old daughter.
“Moving forward it’s just a timeline crunch for finding a new place right now because I’m not going to be able to come back home anytime soon, so I might as well just move,” said O’Connor.
The superintendent of the apartment building told Global News that an insurance representative and a City of Belleville engineer met this week and did an analysis of the structure and the gas line damage, but an estimate has yet to be given.
Rent during the repairs is going to be waived, according to O’Connor, but she says she is still on the hook for hydro.
“I pay in the summer $240 and in the winter $170, so it’s pretty high, and it’s a good chunk,” said O’Connor.
As for the pause on hot water, the superintendent said they expect the gas line to be repaired next week.
Police confirmed by phone that the accused appeared in bail court Friday.