Raleigh man: Who to call about sinkhole?
A Raleigh homeowner trying to do the right thing said he has been stymied by the city when he sought help with a sinkhole forming on his property.
Posted — UpdatedChris Ertel has owned his home for about five years, and the 25-foot-long washout under his driveway has been there almost that long. There's no dirt supporting his driveway, and Ertel is worried the whole thing will collapse and injure someone in his family or a neighbor.
"I've had other friends that are engineers look at it and say, 'You've got to call somebody.' I'm like "Who do I call?" Ertel asked.
Before he invests in a fix, Ertel wants to establish whether that is his responsibility or someone else's.
"I can't get the city to return any calls. I can't get the builder to return any phone calls because they're out of business. I'm out of options," Ertel said.
"My wife and I have two small children, and we don't even allow them to play in the yard," he said. "I don't even park my car on this side of the driveway right now."
Ertel said if the fix is his to fund, he will do so, but before he shells out, he wants to know who is ultimately responsible.
After WRAL News put Ertel in touch with the proper city contact, a representative scheduled an appointment to check out the damage to his property next Monday.
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
