`We would be better off if it burned down'.

Byline: Dianne Williamson

COLUMN: DIANNE WILLIAMSON

Anyone who happened to pass by the Adamonis house at the climax of their real-life horror show, "The Sewage That Wouldn't Stop," would have overheard a frantic Phillip Adamonis shouting from the cellar to his wife upstairs.

"Quick! Get out of the bathroom! It's coming back!"

It was, indeed - for the third time in six days. It started July 2, when Mr. Adamonis came home to find raw sewage and human feces seeping from the toilet, tub and kitchen sink. After he cleaned it up and called the city, the fetid brown sludge flowed into the house again five days later, spreading three inches deep over the floors and cellar. And it happened yet again July 8, just as city workers trying to repair a pipe in the street broke for lunch.

Now, Phil and Terry Adamonis are living in a small trailer on their front lawn. Their once-cozy ranch house on Baltic Road on Vernon Hill is a decimated shell and needs $48,000 worth of repairs and renovations. Last week, a faint smell of sewage still lingered in the ripped up kitchen, living room and study.

Municipal officials blamed the sewage backup on a "structural failure" in which a pipe collapsed after heavy rain.

"We don't know how it happened," acknowledged Robert Moylan, commissioner of the Department of Public Works. "But they were affected about as severely as anyone I've ever seen. My heart breaks for these people."

Incredibly, though, despite the fact that the sewage overflow was not their fault but rather the result of a city-owned blocked pipe, Worcester officials say they're likely not liable for damages. Rather, the Adamonises might have to foot the bill for the renovations, with money they don't have.

"There's a chance that the city will not be able to help this guy," said City Solicitor David Moore. "We need to find out what happened and why, but the simple fact that sewage backed up doesn't make the city liable."

Mr. Moore said the law holds a municipality liable for damages only if it was found to be negligent. He told Mr. Adamonis to file a claim, but he explained that the majority of similar cases are not covered by city funds.

"Things happen," Mr. Moore said. "There are events in life that have bad results that the law doesn't place financial responsibility on a third party."

Such explanations are little consolation to Phil and Terry Adamonis. He's a retired truck driver; she was recently laid off. Mr. Adamonis has lived in the house for three decades and lost almost everything - furniture, carpet, appliances, shoes and photo albums. The $48,000 estimate to restore and remodel the house includes wall demolition, carpentry work, wood refinishing, plumbing and new tile.

"I get a pension and she gets an unemployment check," Mr. Adamonis said, sitting with his wife in the small trailer they borrowed from a nephew and now call home. "This is complete devastation. My wife cries every day. We don't know where we'll find the money to pay for this, and we have no one to turn to."

He said his homeowner's policy doesn't cover flooding. When told that the city is likely not liable, he noted that DPW workers initially said there was no pipe blockage after responding to the first backup, and then claimed they had freed the line after the second one. The third overflow occurred July 8 when workers were setting up a bypass and broke for lunch.

"If it's not the city's fault, whose fault is it?" Mr. Adamonis asked, reasonably enough. "We didn't do anything wrong. The pipe isn't even on our property. We pay our taxes, and we're living like a couple of hobos."

"Hobos live better," his wife added.

The Adamonises have a moving pod in their driveway that now holds virtually all of their possessions: a television, computer, some dishes and a few boxes. They eat dinner and shower at their neighbors' house. Mr. Adamonis said he may have to refinance his home, but he's unsure he could get a loan based on their pension and unemployment checks.

"You can't describe this situation to anyone, and I can't believe that no one will help us," he said. "We would have been better off if the house had burned down."

Contact Dianne Williamson via e-mail at [e-mail]