FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Residents in a Franklin subdivision say they're worried about their safety after a blast at a nearby construction site sent rocks into the air and through some homes.
"They were negligent in their blasting and they didn't put a blast mat down," said Stanley Berry as he looked at the damage in his roof.
A rock from the Oct. 1 blast fell into his Lockwood Glen home.
"Now I have a hole in my roof, well actually I have two holes in my roof," Berry said, "the fact that someone could've been severely injured with the amount of people that walk around the neighborhood. My son and I walk up and down the sidewalks regularly play in the backyard. He could've been killed it haunts me."
Officials with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, which includes the State Fire Marshal's Office, said so far, they've received 14 complaints regarding the blast. Five of those were flying rock complaints.
A spokesperson with TDCI said, "While we cannot comment on the investigation while it is underway, our Department is investigating these complaints. We look forward to sharing the results of the investigation once complete."
Berry said they've only been living in their new home for a month and instead of being able to enjoy it, they've been dealing with the fallout from the construction site.
"We've been in communication with the contractor, he has turned it over to the insurance company and we had the adjuster come out last week," Berry said. "We did receive a proposal yesterday as far as how much they estimate it's going to cost but that proposal only says they're going to give us a lump sum. We would have to hire the contractor ourselves and have them come out and who knows how much it's actually going to cost us."
Berry said it isn't about the money, but about safety. He explained that he doesn't see an end in sight and just hopes the developers will be more mindful of what's at stake.
"The only warning is an air horn right before the blast," said Berry, "so had anyone been in their backyard they would have the air horn warning and then see the flying rocks so its not enough warning considering what they're doing."
NewsChannel 5 reached out to the developer, Crescent Homes, by both phone and email but haven't heard back.
