INDIANAPOLIS — A woman wants answers after a light pole smashed into her Toyota Prius two weeks ago on Massachusetts Avenue.
Natasha Sperry turned to RTV6 because, until she can figure out who is responsible for the pole falling, she's facing a massive repair bill. And it's creating a bigger safety issue.
Witnesses said all it took was someone leaning against a pole to send it crashing into Sperry's car.
"I realized it had fallen over on my car," she said. "My Prius was sitting right there."
Indianapolis Power and Light removed the pole, but no one wants to take responsibility.
"Since then, IPL has said it was not their fault," Sperry said.
Matt Smith was working as a doorman that night and saw a man lean against the pole.
"There was a gentleman that was stumbling around," Smith said. "Then he started to fall over and kind of grab the light pole as he was falling, and when he went down, the pole went down with him."
Smith said it's now dark in front of the bar where he works, and it's dangerous.
"You're pretty sure it would be secure in the ground and that a person wouldn't be able to push it over by accident," he said.
The Indianapolis Department of Public Works said IPL owns the poles in front of the bar.
"IPL has refused to take responsibility for any of this, and they've since said it's the city's fault," Sperry said.
Sperry received a claim rejection letter from IPL, which said the pole is customer-owned by DPW.
"The real issue is it's been a public safety issue that really could have hurt somebody," Sperry said.
Unless someone takes ownership of the pole, Sperry will be forced to pay a $1,000 insurance deductible to get her car fixed. A spokeswoman from IPL said she is still searching for more clarity on who is responsible for the pole.
