The man couldn’t access his own driveway after finding multiple cars blocking it (stock image) (Image: Bilanol via Getty Images)
A doctor was so frustrated after hikers blocked access to his driveway for several days that he decided to take revenge. Finding secure and reasonably-priced parking can be tricky, but it’s well-known that leaving your vehicle on another person’s property without permission is simply not acceptable. If your parked vehicle obstructs access to someone’s home, then you’ve overstepped the mark.
Unfortunately, this was the predicament faced by a doctor living in a semi-rural location on a sprawling ranch-style estate in Montana, USA. He returned home one day and found three large cars obstructing his driveway – and these vehicles remained there for several days while their owners embarked on a hiking and camping trip, blissfully unaware of the mayhem they’d caused.
READ MORE: Parking on your own driveway could mean you’re breaking the law
READ MORE: Homeowners with driveways ‘excluded’ from new £500 boost
The doctor explained his home is found within extensive grounds, portions of which he rents out to people who “know what they’re doing”. Upon moving in, he had the boundaries professionally evaluated and marked out by a fence. He also installed “no trespassing” signs in an effort to alert passers-by that they were approaching private property.
His driveway is lengthy and secluded, and is accessed via a main road. After returning home one afternoon, he discovered three vehicles obstructing his drive, which prevented him from being able to reach his own home by car.
The entrance to his driveway meets a public road roughly three quarters of a mile from his house, forcing the doctor to leave his own vehicle behind and walk nearly a mile to reach his front door. The driveway has “drainage ditches on either side” so he couldn’t drive around or beyond the offending cars.
He considered having them towed away but was worried he might face legal consequences, so contacted the local police for advice on the best way to deal with the situation – as well as to serve as a “witness”. After the local sheriff confirmed he was entitled to take action regarding the parked vehicles, he waited a while longer to see whether the cars’ owners would show up and collect their vehicles.
After three days, he’d “had enough” and decided to take action himself. On Reddit, he said: “I drove out to the cars with some wooden cribbing, and a high-lift jack, and jacked the cars up, put cribbing down, and left the cars there, wheels up in the air.
“It took two more days before anyone showed up. Eight people showed up, angry because their cars had been essentially booted. They really didn’t like it when I told them they owed me for parking, and damage done to the road, because they blocked it.”
The drivers became even more furious when the doctor demanded compensation for parking charges and the damage they’d caused to his driveway. Despite their insistence they hadn’t realised they were trespassing, they were dismissed as police had already been notified of the situation and supported the doctor.
A month later, the doctor found himself facing legal action from the drivers but he launched a counterclaim – and won. The judge ruled the drivers must pay for resurfacing the road, as well as having to fork out for storage charges and punitive damages.
The doctor shared: “It took a year, but I got the payment from the third hiker last week. I decided that the money will go to help pay for my annual summer BBQ for the county’s emergency responders.”
Below the Reddit post, one person commented: “In the country, or the city or in the suburbs: what kind of idiot blocks a driveway??!” Another said: “This was one of the most satisfying posts I’ve read on here in a long time!”
A third added: “What a heartwarming revenge story!” However, some people questioned whether the story was entirely genuine.