AKRON, Ohio — Don George Jr. has been hauling furniture out of his home and loading it into his sister's trailer, which now sits parked on his front lawn.
"This is half of my furniture from my house," George said.
The sight of it makes him emotional.
"I've been very angry the last few days," he said, fighting back tears. "Because my house is destroyed."
George and his wife, Karen, said the damage happened on Sept. 24, when Karen was home alone and noticed something was wrong.
WATCH THE STORY:
"I didn't know what it was," Karen said.
Liquid began surrounding the house and seeping up through the floors.
"It soaked the (carpet) padding, and underneath the padding is more mud," Don said while showing the damage.
The liquid was horizontal directional drilling mud — a clay-based mixture used to lubricate the ground when boring holes for underground piping.
Mid-Ohio Pipeline is conducting the Akron project on behalf of Cargill. Workers came to the Georges' home that day and assessed the damage.
"'You guys are going to be fine. We're going to take care of everything,'" Karen recalled them saying.
But Don said the companies originally agreed to cover some costs, then went silent when he requested additional inspections — including a check of his sewer pipes, where the mud had tracked inside the home.
"We were just trying to figure out, well, what do we do? Who do we call?" Karen said.
They called the News 5 Investigators.
After News 5 contacted the companies, Cargill responded in writing, saying it was working with Don. Don said that had not been the case at the time of the inquiry.
The situation echoes a similar incident in Twinsburg Township earlier this year, when a different company using the same drilling technique struck a gas line. The resulting explosion damaged dozens of homes and prompted several communities to temporarily ban horizontal directional drilling.
In Akron, the Georges said the outreach made a difference. After News 5 contacted the companies, Mid-Ohio Pipeline agreed to a settlement and repairs.
"I'm happy because if you guys wouldn't have gotten involved, we wouldn't be getting any answers or anything," Karen said.
"And then I can move everything back in and get on with my life," Don said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
