AVALON PARK, Fla. – A 75-year-old Avalon Park man feared for his life Tuesday night when he woke up to sharp pains in his chest, but what scared him more was what paramedics told him when they got to his house.
"They said it took them a little extra time getting here," Russ Mozier said. "That they had come down Paradise Tree Drive back there and that with all of the street parking on both sides of the curb they couldn't get through the cars. They blew their horns and sirens trying to get people up to come out and move the cars but nobody did."
Mozier said this concerned him because even though his medical emergency turned out to be gallstones, those mere minutes could have been the difference between life or death.
"It turned out well for me but it could have been a lot worse," he said.
Mozier said he's known the street parking has been a problem and wasn't surprised, but this concerned him, especially for other senior citizens in the neighborhood.
"Two friends of ours over there. One is just over 80 years old, the other is around 90 and we have other older people living in Avalon Park," he said. "They need medical help as soon as they can get it and if they are blocked up they can't get through."
News 6 is getting results for Mozier and his Avalon Park neighbors.
Within hours of News 6 bringing up the problem to Orange County, the Public Works director agreed to send out a team to speak to Mozier and assess the area. The Public Works director said they will see what can be done to make sure no medical emergency crew is slowed down in the future.
"That was fast," Mozier said. "I'm glad we got some results. Now I'm ready to see the final results."