Rockford couple nears end of two-year battle to restore historic home after tornado
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Working with adjusters, shopping contractors and filing a civil complaint against their insurance company has been Jay and Tara Dickson's life for more than two years.
The couple's historic home on Spring Creek Road was heavily damaged on March 31, 2023, when an EF-1 tornado ripped through parts of city.
Damage included several blown out windows, massive holes in the roof and the loss of critical support pillars. The twister also lifted the house off its foundation.
Flash forward nearly 14 months and work has finally begun to bring the 120-year-old property back to life.
'We wanted our home restored back to what it was before the storm,' Jay said.
But, their insurance company didn't see it that way. The Dicksons were offered a small settlement to make cosmetic improvements, but nothing close to enough to cover repairs that dipped well into the six figures.
Knowing they had been paying premiums on a seven-figure insurance policy for four years, Jay and Tara decided to balk at the offer and fight for what they say they were entitled to.
'Nothing we were asking for was outside of our policy.' Tara said. 'Everything we were asking for was inside of our policy.'
The Dicksons said the process has been learning experience.
'Most people, I would say their experience with insurance is likened to, 'Well, I had a car accident, a fender-bender,'' Jay said. 'You call up State Farm, AllState, whoever it may be. They put you in a rental car, and they fix your car. And it's all easy.'
But, as Jay and Tara found out, a catastrophic insurance claim is anything but easy.
'It's not something that you can do independently,' Jay said. 'You would like to think it is, like I said with the car example. But it just doesn't work that way. You have to have actual professionals who know the laws, who know the codes and who know what insurance companies can and cannot do.'
That's where the Dickson's public adjuster and attorneys came in.
'This is not for the attorney who has been practicing law for a year or two, fresh out of law school,' Jay said. 'You need someone who has got some skin in the game.'
The project is expected to be completed by the end of summer.
'Overall, I think we are happy with the direction everything is going,' Tara said. 'We are happy that we waited it out and didn't make a hasty decision.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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