IT'S A TRAP
My driveway is blocked for good & I’m trapped in my own home – officials are ‘blaming each other’ instead of helping
A temporary footbridge is in place, but she can't access her driveway
A HOMEOWNER's bridge leading to her home and driveway was washed away during a flood - now she worries about access for emergency vehicles.
She said if there were an emergency her house would "burn to the ground."
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Bridget Harvey's Wyoming home sits on the other side of a wide stream and a main road.
A large 50-foot bridge was built over the stream to access her home and driveway.
In 2006 and 2017, extreme flooding wiped out the bridge, making it impossible to get to and from her home - and the city reinforced the bridge.
Fast forward to earlier this month, when flooding ravaged the region.
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The "reinforced" bridge collapsed, leaving her family without reliable access to her home.
A temporary wooden bridge was installed by a family friend that allowed her family to walk across the bridge.
Without the bridge, Bridget's husband has to park on the other side of the stream and walk, leaving his car eerily close to the main road.
"What do you do? This is not planned for," she told NBC affiliate WBRE-TV.
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"Right now I’m just emotionally a mess."
Having to leave her husband's car on the other side of the stream is troublesome, but she's more worried about emergency vehicle access.
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"There won’t be a way to save it because nobody can get here," she said.
"My house will burn to the ground."
Harvey says she's tried to contact the right government agencies but is caught in a finger-pointing match.
"[Department of Enviornmental Protection] has been absolutely no help. PennDOT is not a help," she explained.
"They blame each other. Nobody wants to take responsibility or fault for what their part in any of this is and we are left stuck."
Why is it illegal to block a driveway?
Blocking a driveway is illegal in the United States due to the limiting of access to emergency care.
Aside from being inconsiderate, blocking a driveway is a serious safety hazard, cops say.
Blocking the driveway of someone's home is illegal in all 50 states, with fines and penalties varying by state.
For instance, blocking a driveway in San Francisco, California can earn a driver a hefty towing $286 fee and a $110 ticket.
That's not including the feed to retrieve the vehicle from an impound lot, which averages over $600.
In an emergency, a blocked driveway can mean the difference between life and death for a patient.
"In the United States, it is illegal to block a driveway, even your own," reads Parklio's website.
"It's a matter of public safety: emergency services like fire trucks, ambulances, or police cars need that space to get in and out.
"An obstructed driveway might also prevent vehicles from pulling out onto the road to seek emergency services."
Source: San Francisco Police Department, Parklio
That's when Harvey reached out to WBRE reporters.
They contacted the DEP on her behalf.
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Within a short time, spokesperson Colleen Connolly responded via email.
"The DEP has been in touch with the homeowner in Wyoming to discuss the situation with her driveway and is still discussing if any permits are needed from the department," she wrote.