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Community rallying to help vandalism victim

Friends are there when needed. A best friend and the Okotoks community have rallied for a woman who had more than $60,000 worth of water-damage to her home when a bathtub was purposely left overflowing late in April.

Friends are there when needed.

A best friend and the Okotoks community have rallied for a woman who had more than $60,000 worth of water-damage to her home when a bathtub was purposely left overflowing late in April.

The family is currently struggling to get full-payment from insurance.

Paula Campbell has started a GoFundMe page for her friend of more than 35 years, Dixie Dash.

“I have known her forever — since high school,” said Campbell, a member of the class of 1981 from Lord Beaverbrook High with Dash. “It is a horrible thing that has happened through no fault of Dixie.”

As of Monday, there was $11,850 raised on the GoFundMe page.

Campbell said approximately $34,000 needs to be raised to cover Dash's non-covered expenses.

Dash and her two high school-aged sons have been forced to move out of the house in the Cimarron area due to the damage. The house had been sold prior to the vandalism and the damage should be repaired by the May 15 possession date.

At present, Dash is expecting to get about $31,000 from insurance. She is not getting the full amount, because her estranged husband, Kevin Sadownyk, is a co-signer on the title. The damage was done when Sadownyk was known to have access to the home.

He is now missing.

Dash admits she suspects her husband is responsible.

She came home for lunch on April 24 to the vandalized home.

“When I got home the overflow was duct-taped on the upstairs bath-tub and the taps were on full,” Dash said.

Sadownyk had received access to their home to drop off Easter presents and pick-up some belongings. The damage is a result of water getting into ducts and all three levels of the home was damaged.

The couple was in the final stages of a difficult divorce.

Dash feels she has been denied full insurance coverage due to speculation her husband caused the damage.

“He (Sadownyk) was on the title and was on the mortgage,” Dash said. “He was still the homeowner. Anyone who is the homeowner, and anyone who trashes their home on purpose is denied coverage… the kids and I are paying the piper.”

She said the insurance company, Intact, has indicated it will pay half the coverage.

Hazel Tan, spokeswoman for Intact, would not comment directly with the Dash incident.

She said in a prepared statement, generally insurance policies do not cover loss or damage resulting from intentional acts of anyone insured by the policy. This is in place to ensure that individuals do not intentionally cause damage to their own property for gain.

Tan added in Alberta legislation exists that allows claims to be paid out to innocent co-insureds who are not involved in damaging the property intentionally or fraudulently.

Tan said Intact fully supports the legislation.

Sadownyk was last seen on April 24 at Dash's home. His white Ford pick-up was found abandoned on Lake Minnewanka Road in Banff National Park on April 25.

Okotoks RCMP Sgt. Sukh Randhawa said both the vandalism and Sadownyk's disappearance are under investigation.

For information on Sadownyk going missing go to www.westernwheel.com/article/RCMP-continue-search-for-missing-Okotoks-man-20170502

To donate to the GoFundMe page go to www.gofundme.com/help-dixie-dash

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