LAKELAND, Fla. — Nine years ago, US Air Force veteran Craig Kreisler was working when he fell off a ladder, resulting in him having to use a wheelchair.
“I laid on the concrete floor for about three hours, until I saw somebody across the street coming for his mailbox. I started screaming for help. Wound up going to the hospital and they said that I would never walk again,” Kreisler said.
WATCH: Garbage trucks damage driveway of Polk County disabled veteran
Since then, Kreisler has been receiving backdoor service at his home in Lakeland. The service is offered by Polk County Solid Waste to residents who have a disability or other limitations that prevent them from taking their trash to the curb for pickup.
It’s been a great convenience for Kreisler, but about a year ago, he began noticing his driveway cracking from the garbage trucks driving over it.
The cracks grew, leaving his driveway full of crumbled concrete. Kreisler said he contacted the county and FCC Environmental, the waste haulers contracted by the county, to have them repair his driveway. Instead, he said, garbage trucks have just stopped driving on it.
“They used to bring the big garbage truck down; then they brought a medium-sized garbage truck down, then they brought the little garbage truck down, with like a pick-up truck with a dumpster in the back. Now, they won't even bring any garbage truck down. They just have somebody walk down the driveway and get my garbage can,” Kreisler said.
He said the uneven driveway had caused damage to the front bumper of his $94,000 wheelchair-accessible van.
“It got ripped off by going down the driveway, and it goes into the ditch, and it’s ripped off,” Kreisler said.
ABC Action News reached out to Polk County. The Roads and Drainage Division director stated that, because it’s a long driveway serving two homes, it would be considered private property, except for the right-of-way on Crews Lake Road. Kreisler feels he should not be responsible for fixing it.
“They all know about it, but they’re not doing anything about it. I've contacted them many, many times,” Kreisler said.
Polk County Solid Waste and FCC Environmental have told ABC Action News that they are now investigating the matter.
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