Le Figaro Marseille
“It’s good but roughly speaking, it doesn’t move things forward
. ”
Roland Bellessa's tone oscillates between anger and bitterness.
On Monday, the Marseille prosecutor's office announced the extension of the investigation to the facts of
"destruction, degradation and involuntary deterioration by explosion or fire"
, in the investigation into the fatal collapse of several buildings on rue de Tivoli.
A decision which allows material damage to be taken into account and which opens up the possibility for local residents to become civil parties.
Indeed, almost a year after the tragedy, in addition to the psychological trauma, local residents, like Roland Bellessa, are experiencing a real way of the cross.
On the night of April 8 to 9, the life of this Marseillais was turned upside down.
The latter owned an apartment located at 15 rue de Tivoli.
Today, this apartment no longer exists.
The explosion at number 17 caused the collapse of his building.
And since then, the co-president of the Tivoli April 9 collective, which brings together residents living near the disaster, has spent his days in paperwork, in battles with insurance companies which are as long as they are anxiety-inducing.
Insurers do not want to take the risk that there will be no reimbursement behind
Julie Morin, from the National Federation of Victims of Attacks and Collective Accidents
“Insurance companies treat our cases as common law based on our insurance contracts, pending the establishment of liability before the courts,”
explains Roland Bellessa.
When you have water damage, when you wait until liability is established to pay, it happens quite quickly.
But in collective accidents like this, it’s so complex that for us, it’s not possible to wait.”
“Insurers do not want to be involved because they do not want to take the risk that if, at the end of the procedure, no liability has been found, there will be no reimbursement behind
,” analyzes Julie Morin of the Federation National Association of Victims of Attacks and Collective Accidents, which supports the collective in its efforts.
Read alsoExplosion rue de Trévise: the judicial investigation is completed
Credit and rent to pay
“And as insurance companies refuse to cover everything, some find themselves having to pay for the work in their building themselves, and having to take out loans, for example,”
laments Roland Bellessa.
You should know that in the blast of the explosion, the buildings near 17 rue de Tivoli moved a lot.
We are not talking about small window repairs to replace.
This could mean changing ceilings for 150,000 euros, all to be able to return to your accommodation.
But our backs are not strong enough to hold on.”
Paying for the work is not the only difficulty local residents face.
Insurance companies cover their rehousing within a period provided for in expiring insurance contracts, when it has not already expired.
“For example, I pay a loan on my apartment which no longer exists,”
reports Roland Bellessa.
On the other hand, the insurance pays for my rehousing because in my contract, this is guaranteed within one year.
After this period, in a few weeks, I will have to make advances on my credit and pay for rehousing, waiting to be reimbursed the day there is a designated manager.
We walk on the head."
A framework agreement between victims and insurers?
In an open letter dating from last November, the collective called on the insurance companies, as a final call for help.
In this document consulted by
Le Figaro
, the collective calls in particular for the establishment of a framework agreement between victims and insurers, as had been decided for rue de Trévise in Paris.
“There are discussions at the moment on the subject with the various lawyers,”
specifies Julie Morin.
Legally, insurance companies are not obliged to get involved, but we cannot make them wait years for a procedure that is far too long.”
“We still have the image of a global indifference to what is happening to us, and I think that we will not have the means to make things happen at our level,”
sighs Roland Bellessa
.
We must now consider changing the legislative framework for collective accidents like this.
There, we have the impression that it will be endless.”
At the end of 2023, around fifty homes out of the 200 affected by the rue de Tivoli and its surrounding areas were still evicted.