News

Actions

Time runs out for Dearborn Heights family fighting to keep broken down RV in driveway

Posted at 6:50 PM, Feb 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-07 18:51:07-05

It seems the stress was too much for 76-year-old Jerry Smith when the City of Dearborn Heights came to haul his old RV away Tuesday morning.

Smith had to be rushed to a nearby hospital with concerns for a heart condition.

Even though it hasn't been driven in several years, Smith's daughter, Julie Smith, said her father believed he could keep the RV in the driveway because it's been parked there for about 18 years.

Smith had a similar battle with the City of Dearborn Heights in 1988 that involved a Winnebago.

Jack McIntyre, Director of Ordinance Enforcement for Dearborn Heights, says they have been addressing the improper storage of the oversized vehicle with Smith for years, but things began to get more serious in 2015 when the city started getting phone calls from citizens calling it an eyesore.

McIntyre says there were also reports of rodents going in and out of the RV that had also become a fire hazard.

Click on the video to hear from Smith's daughter who says, even though it wasn't working right now, the 1989 RV means a lot to her father.