Insurance claims denied as drivers stranded by Bayshore garage collapse seek reimbursement

GLENDALE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Another chapter of the Bayshore parking garage saga continues, weeks after the last stranded cars were rescued from the structure.

The insurance company representing the mall said the collapse is not their fault and is denying reimbursement claims.

One man we spoke with said he spent $770 for a rental car for a week while his car was stuck in the garage. He's now spent weeks trying to get reimbursed, only to be told he's out of luck.

And he's not the only one.

Chris Bossert works at Bayshore. We asked him about his level of frustration. He said, "Pretty high. Yeah, I'm pretty frustrated."

Bossert just wants to be made whole. He works at Bayshore, where the parking garage collapsed Feb. 23, stranding his car on the second level for a week.

He said, "All I did is show up for work and park where they told me I'm supposed to park."

Since then, he's tried to figure out who is liable and which insurance company will reimburse him the $110 a day he was forced to spend on a rental car. "From my view, this is pretty straightforward: I have no involvement in who they hire."

But Bayshore's insurance carrier denied Bossert's claim Monday, telling him to turn to the snow removal company. Bossert said, "I expect they're going to send me back to Bayshore, and I'm going to be in the middle while they're pointing at each other."

Bossert has enlisted insurance attorney Justin Wallace to help navigate the process.

Wallace told us, "Unfortunately, it seems like we're playing whack-a-mole."

Over the next few months, Wallace's firm will work to determine who is responsible, taking it to court if necessary.

Wallace said some drivers' own insurance companies may cover the temporary loss of a vehicle.

He said claims like Bossert's are often settled, but there is strength in numbers. So, they're trying to reach people similarly affected.

Wallace said, "It's easier for insurance companies to disregard or throw people to the wind, than 100 of them. The important part is to gain some sort of leverage."

Wallace is encouraging anyone else affected by the garage collapse to contact his office.

We reached out to the snow removal company but did not hear back.