CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) – A police officer is going above and beyond the call of duty to help a Clearwater Florida man whose home was damaged during an alligator break-in.
Back in May, 77-year-old Mary Wischhussen woke up in the middle of the night to find a massive gator in her kitchen. It had smashed through a large glass window in her Eagles Landing condo. The gator left holes and dents in the walls, as well as shattered glass furniture.
Wischhusen filed a claim under her homeowners’ insurance to pay for the damage, but it was denied a month later.
“Because it was a gator that broke it, and they don’t cover gators,” Wischhusen explained to 8 On Your Side. “If it was wind, they would have fixed it. If it was anything but a gator, they would have fixed it.
Wischhusen’s policy provider, Florida Peninsula, told 8 On Your Side that most structural and exterior damage claims are typically handled by the condo association’s policy. 8 On Your Side is still awaiting comment from Eagles Landing.
Since then, Brad Allen, one of the Clearwater officers who responded the morning the gator broke in, created a GoFundMe to help pay for the damages her insurance won’t cover.
“I just wanted to do something to help her out, and I thought setting up a GoFundMe would probably be the best and easiest way,” Allen said. “Most of us has been on gator calls before, but never a call of that size, and we’ve never been on a gator call where it actually broke into the house.”
Allen hopes to raise $1,500, enough to help Wischhusen replace the large broken window and frame, repair the drywall and even perhaps replace some of the shattered furniture.
To donate: https://www.gofundme.com/f/gator-break-in
