A professional Car disaster in Pittsburgh...

Charles E Snyder II

Charles E Snyder II

PCS Member
A Professional Car disaster in Pittsburgh...

I have recently been in contact with Frank Marasco (Tri-State Chapter President). Frank sent me some pictures that he had taken recently for The Livery. I asked him if he also wanted me to post them to the site here for all to see. Frank is not completely up to speed on the internet yet and said that it might be a good idea for me to post these with a short story to explain.

Just a couple of days before the Micro Meet, John Ehmer had a slight problem with his garage in Pittsburgh. Frank also had his cars stored in the same garage. It was an older building with a flat roof and unfortunately the 2 foot of snow that the Pittsburgh area had gotten over the past couple of weeks was too much for the roof.
 

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I have only talked with Frank on a limited basis the past couple of days, so this is the information that I have. According to Frank, John was set to meet with the insurance companies and a contractor this weekend to see what can be done. From what I understand, a crane is going to be needed to lift some of the roof pieces off of the building and until that is done, there is not a lot of information on the condition of any of the cars. Unfortunately, from what I understand, since this was his only storage for the cars, John is entertaining offers on any of his cars. Please contact John or Frank for more information. I can do my best to be the go between if needed, but at this point, I have very little information.



Below is a before picture taken a year or so ago at one of our gatherings at John's garege.
 

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it will be interesting to see just what come out of it, know John is going threw some personal things right now to so it never rains but it snows big time. I not sure if he ownes the building or not if he does and they can get a new roof on it this, may just turn out OK. but right now it's bad.
 
This is terrible, it looks like quite a collection, and I'm sure they are repairable but it still must cause great heartache for these guys. Best of Luck.
 
Very sad!

That's awful...if there's any saving grace it's that the building didn't catch fire as well. Hopefully when the roof is lifted off the damage won't be as bad as it appears. Getting the vehicles to somewhere safe will be the next hurdle followed by the insurance claims. How many of us have a proper insurance appraisal on our vehicles?
 
Disheartening=understatement. I've only had the pleasure of speaking with John on a couple of occasions. What a wonderful asset to the hobby he truly is. Likewise, I'll maintain hope that damage is not as bad as initially thought.
 
This one hurts bad, not just because of the vehicles but because it happened to a guy like John. I've not had the pleasure but have read and heard enough to know what he has done for the hobby. Our prayers are with you John.
 
Bill raises a valid point. I'm going to have a chat with my insurance agent this week to make sure that the coverage for my vehicles is up to par. I may have been guilty of getting them insured quickly, because I as excited to drive them, without paying proper attention to exactly what coverage I have.

Best wishes to Frank for a resolution to this tragedy.
 
Doug House said:
Bill raises a valid point. I'm going to have a chat with my insurance agent this week to make sure that the coverage for my vehicles is up to par. I may have been guilty of getting them insured quickly, because I as excited to drive them, without paying proper attention to exactly what coverage I have.

Best wishes to Frank for a resolution to this tragedy.
Click to expand...

Good idea Doug, I recently raised my coverage on my 70. Of course with Hagerty going from $7500 to $10,000 only made about $14 a year difference.:smileyAUS:
 
I almost cried when I saw the pics. I have talked to John many times and it sucks that this happened to him (or anyone else for that matter).

This is the reason we need to make sure our cars are well insured, as this could happen to any one of us.
I like to drive my cars during the summer months a lot (Im talking 10,000+- miles on EACH car), so I know I am well insured, some would even say over insured!
 
I was told about this during the Micro-Meet last week, but it wasn't my place to post. This is a true tragedy, at least as far as the cars. John has a large collection of unique professional cars. His building is quite old, and apparently, the storm was just too much for it. It's quite probable that many of the cars are badly damaged. According to Frank, the cars stored on the lower level of the two-story garage are mostly OK, other than water damage from melting snow (think of the 20's wood-carved, South American child's hearse and you see where water damage can be bad, too). The cars that were upstairs probably haven't fared as well, as it looks like the roof beams came down on the cars. They had not gotten into the building due to the structural instability last I had heard. The term "devastating loss" certainly seems appropriate.

It's not just a new roof he needs, as a wall collapsed as well. The good news is nobody was injured.

The possible loss is a terrible blow to him. Worse still, apparently his insurance company is giving him a hassle. John is a good friend and a good person, who really appreciates these vehicles and this club.

I don't know how to help. But Pittsburgh folks, please tell him we are thinking of him and will help if possible.
 
Most insurance companies will accept almost any value that you put on the car for insurance purposes, however, when you make a claim, they will only pay what the fair market value is, up to the dollar amount stated in the policy. The only way to protect yourself is to have a written professional appraisal to go along with the dollar amount of the policy. Just because you have invested $30,000 in a restoration doesn't mean that the car is worth $30,000. If the car appraises for only $24,000, that is the most that the insurance company will pay, no matter what the stated value is on the policy. Some companies will sell you a agreed value policy that will pay the total amount of the agreed value if the car is totaled. The agreed value policy will pay what you and the insurance company agree upon, without regard to the fair market value. It is also a more expensive insurance policy. Not all insurance policies are written alike, so always read the policy from cover to cover. Keep in mind that if they pay you that they take the car and have the right to sell the salvage. Sometimes the salvage value is much higher than we might think because someone wants the car because of desirability. Get a professional appraisal before you need it, because it is much harder to determine a value after damage has occurred.
 
What Paul states is correct. I do carry agreed value on all my coaches for the reasons Paul states. The policy is a little more expensive but well worth it in the long run.
 
I am sure John will appreciate all the well wishes and the hope that has been sent his way through this thread.

As Steve mentioned, I did not feel that it was my place to post anything so I did not do it right away. Frank Marasco is as close to being John's right hand man as anyone is and Frank also had cars stored downstairs at the garage. Frank had sent me the pictures and asked that I include them in the next issue of The Livery (TSC newsletter). I replied to Frank and asked if he wanted me to post here also. Frank thought that it would be a good idea.

As I mentioned earlier, according to Frank, John is considering selling any and all of the cars that were housed in the garage due to lack of space to store them. Again, according to Frank, there are 17 professional cars for sale right now by John and Frank. Please contact Frank or John if you are in intersted in any of the cars that John has. I am sure that it would not only help out in finding a home for all these unique vehicles, it would also help in covering the costs of repairing/replacing/demolishing the building. That right there was the main reason for posting this. Someone mentioned not knowing what to do to help... Help John make space by adopting any of these vehicles.
 
I feel very badly for John. As many of you know, I have great love and respect for him. I know John's life went upside down about a year, or so ago. This is like the icing on the cake and it is an awful cake at that. Some people say "when it rains it pours" but I say "When the sh$% flies, it flies deep" which I feel is especially true for John.

You are in my thoughts John, I sure hope something good comes your way real soon!
 
Charles E Snyder said:
...As I mentioned earlier, according to Frank, John is considering selling any and all of the cars that were housed in the garage due to lack of space to store them. Again, according to Frank, there are 17 professional cars for sale right now by John and Frank. Please contact Frank or John if you are in intersted in any of the cars that John has. I am sure that it would not only help out in finding a home for all these unique vehicles, it would also help in covering the costs of repairing/replacing/demolishing the building. That right there was the main reason for posting this. Someone mentioned not knowing what to do to help... Help John make space by adopting any of these vehicles.
Click to expand...

When I was in Flint, Frank gave me the list of cars that John, and he, own and are willing to sell. Here it is:
  • 1929 Studebaker Childs Hearse
  • 1937 S&S Buick Deluxe Service Car
  • 1938 Superior Buick Combination
  • 1939 Superior Pontiac Rosehill Service Car
  • 1948 Superior Chrysler Landau Hearse
  • 1953 S&S Cadillac Flower Car
  • 1956 Comet Oldsmobile Combination
  • 1957 Miller-Meteor Cadillac Flower Car (photo below from '08)
  • 1960 Flxible Buick Flxette Service Car
  • 1963 Flxible Buick Service Car
  • 1963 Flxible Buick Hearse
  • 1963 Flxible Buick Combination
  • 1964 Cotner-Bevington Oldsmobile Limousine
  • 1964 National Buick Ambulance
  • 1965 National Buick Limousine
  • 1968 Superior Cadillac Flower Car
  • 1976 Superior Buick Crown Hearse
  • 1985 Allen Lincoln Limousine
  • 1964 Superior Cadillac Crown Sovereign
  • 1940 Superior LaSalle Carved Funeral Coach
  • 1948 Henney Packard Landaulet
Contact John at vintagemotors@mindspring.com or Frank (last 3 cars) at marasco40@comcast.net.
 

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