There is nothing easy about moving, particularly when you have kids. If you’re moving across the country, it can be even more stressful. Hiring a moving company can be helpful, but it often comes with an expensive price tag. It also requires a significant amount of trust. Families do it every day, and things go off without a hitch. Kurt Simpson certainly thought that would be the case when he hired Estes SureMove for his family’s relocation from Utah to Florida. Instead, it’s a decision that changed their lives forever.
Simpson told Fox 13 his family put most of their belongings onto a 28-foot SureMove truck headed to Florida. “It was packed, was packed from top to bottom,” he said.
Several days later, Simpson received a shocking text from the Nebraska Department of Transportation. The message stated they’d found a suitcase with his contact information on the side of the highway near a crash site in Lincoln. At first, Simpson thought the text was part of a phishing scam. Sadly, he soon found out it was very real.
“A manager or a supervisor called us, and they 100% confirmed it was in an accident, and they didn’t tell us any other information other than it was in an accident; they didn’t tell us how severe it was,” Simpson told Fox 13.
Dominic Chidester, Simpson’s son, told KMYU that his parents tried to get more information. Unfortunately, they had a hard time connecting with anyone who could provide them with any details. Instead, they drove 12 hours to the crash site to see it for themselves. Chidester said his mother worked so hard to ensure she made the right choice when it came to hiring movers.
“My mom did so much research before choosing this company,” he shared. “To know she put all that trust in them—it’s really heartbreaking.”
Simpson told Fox 13 that when he arrived at the accident site, he could hardly believe his eyes. “It’s literally like a tornado just took all of our belongings and just ripped it all up dumped it right all … in one location,” he said.
KMYU reported that insurance may only cover a portion of the family’s losses. Loved ones created a GoFundMe account to help the family get back on their feet. They’ve raised more than $10,000 thus far.
“We just got an email from the company letting us know they loaded everything they could into a new truck whether it’s in good condition or not. Are sending it to Omaha Nebraska to be sorted by the moving company. Then they’ll ship whatever is left to Florida for us to go through again and decide what we can keep,” Chidester shared in an update on the fundraiser page.
He also thanked supporters for their love and generosity. “Truly we thank you so much,” he shared.
Estes SureMove released a statement obtained by Fox 13 following the accident.
“We sympathize with the difficult situation this family is experiencing. At this time, the incident is under active investigation by the Nebraska State Police, and as such, we are limited in the information we can disclose. Through Estes SureMove, we have stayed in steady contact with the family since the incident, sharing what we know as state police continues their work,” the statement reads. “We remain committed to providing support and resolution as the investigation continues. This is a very unfortunate situation, and our thoughts remain with the family as we work to bring closure and ensure all appropriate steps are taken.”
