Semi-truck crashes into Lehigh Acres home, causes $10,000 in damage

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. (WINK)—A semi-truck crashed into a Lehigh Acres home after parking illegally on a vacant lot, causing $10,000 in damage and raising concerns about the enforcement of existing laws.

Victoria Mangum brought the issue to WINK News anchor Russ McCaskey at a WINK Listens event. While semi-truck parking complaints are common in Lehigh Acres, Mangum's situation escalated into a dangerous incident.

"It was quite the spectacle," Mangum said. "Sheriff's office was there. Fire Department came out."

The incident began when an 18-wheeler parked on the side of the road in front of a vacant lot near Mangum's home. When the truck driver attempted to leave, disaster struck.

"They were driving this way and hit the power lines, pulled the power pole down on my cage and wrapped the power lines around the house, and by the time they stopped, they were past my mailbox around the corner," Mangum said.

McCaskey visited Mangum's home to see the damage firsthand. The snapped power pole struck her pool cage, leaving significant destruction. Mangum's daughter typically plays in the backyard, making the timing of the accident particularly frightening.

"My daughter usually plays in my backyard," Mangum said. "Thank god she wasn't out there at the time. That could have been really bad."

Lee County confirmed that parking semi-trucks in vacant lots violates local law. Ordinance 19-08 prohibits the parking of commercial vehicles exceeding 15,000 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight Rating in residential or agricultural zoned properties.

Despite the ordinance, Mangum said enforcement has been lacking. Code enforcement officers told her they couldn't take action, and a Community Resource officer could only issue a warning.

"Code came out and said they couldn't do anything about it," Mangum said. "Community Resource officer came out and said she could just give a warning. That was it."

While Mangum battles with the trucking company's insurance to cover repairs, she hopes Lee County will strengthen enforcement. She believes the current law is ineffective without proper consequences.

"I think they definitely need to change legislation, because it sounds like there is a law against it, but it's not enforceable," Mangum said. "It's a toothless law. If you can't enforce it. What good is it?"

During McCaskey's visit to Mangum's home, another semi-truck was spotted parked nearby. Lee County advised Mangum to call the county every time she sees trucks parked illegally in her neighborhood.

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