MAPLE GROVE, Minn — A Maple Grove man not only lost his home but his wife of 52 years in a fire back in May. Dave wasn't able to rebuild the home he shared with his wife for more than four decades, and that's why he is now sharing his story to help others.
His family is hoping what happened to him won't ever happen to you.
Dave remembers being inside his home on that tragic May 4th afternoon when his wife Mary Jo called out to him after she couldn't get out of her power reclining chair.
"The chair looked like it was on fire," Dave said.
"Molten plastic was dripping fire down to the floor out of the back of the chair so I said we have to get you out of there. I got burned trying to get her and I went out the back door to the garage, put the door up, staggered out and they wanted to go and try and get her but the flames were so ferocious already."
At that point, Dave knew it was too late. He lost his wife of 52 years.
"I just sat on the curb with my head in my hands and the firetrucks came and the ambulance came," Dave said.
Dave's oldest daughter, Jessi Lindgren, says her dad spent 32 days in HCMC's burn unit with severe burns and suffering smoke inhalation.
"When we got to the hospital, he was in the trauma bay and we were met by police officers and clergy and it looked pretty bad when we went in," Jessi said. "He was unconscious at that point."
While Dave was recovering, his family was dealing with immense grief all while navigating the process of rebuilding the family home.
"They lived there for 46 years... I was 6 years old when we moved in," Jessi said. "All of my childhood memories were there and my mom had always said, 'I am going to die in this house... they are going to bury me in it.' and it was true."
Rebuilding wasn't easy. Jessi said her parents were heavily underinsured.
"He of course wanted to rebuild there, he just didn't get enough money from the insurance," Jessi said. "There was a cap they give you. They give a structural amount and they give a personal property amount and none of that took into account what the housing market is like now."
Kathleen Poehles, an insurance agent with American Family Insurance, said most policies she reviewed this year increased 10-20%.
"This year in particular, it is so important for people to have a conversation with their agent," said Poehles. "You are leaving yourself open to a major loss and financial hit. Talk to your insurance provider on an annual basis. Take advantage of the reviews they offer you. Ask questions."
Jessi wants families to check their insurance policies if they know they haven't recently.
"Make sure that you have the value of the home to replace it and check your insurance often," Jessi said. "Don't just let it go."
Although Dave was unable to rebuild his home there is a silver lining for the Berberick family.
The nonprofit Firefighters for Healing, which helps burn survivors and their families with the help from Furniture and Things, graciously donated furniture for Dave's new home in Maple Grove.
Here is a link to the Berberick family's GoFundMe.
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