INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis homeowner Lauren Banina wants whoever damaged her mailbox held responsible. She found it mangled earlier this winter after she suspects a snowplow driver came down her street.
"I looked outside, and I saw that mine had been knocked over and bent up and my neighbors' was completely gone," said Lauren Banina.
Other homeowners are still looking for answers too after finding their mailboxes knocked over and damaged reportedly by snowplow trucks. Lauren first thought she was the only victim until she started hearing from so many other people about their mailboxes.
"There were three mailboxes in a row that were completely plowed over," Banina said.
What's worse, after surveying her neighborhood, she learned the same person most likely damaged other mailboxes.
"Just glancing around I saw at least 10 that were completely destroyed, the post snapped in half, the mailbox gone or broken off and I think it's ridiculous," Banina said.
She thought the damage was so ridiculous, she wanted to let others know what happened. Her message about it on the Nextdoor app set off a chain reaction. She immediately started hearing from people in neighborhoods nowhere close to her subdivision.
"This happened at a bad time because many families are struggling during the pandemic and can't afford to pay for mailbox repairs," Banina said. "The insurance deductible for example would be too much for many people to pay."
"I was really just venting then so many people commented underneath my post about with pictures and complaints in their own communities," Banina said.
Some of the damaged mailboxes are in neighborhoods like Normandy Farms where someone on Nextdoor reported eight mailboxes damaged by a snowplow truck. 13News also found countless damaged mailboxes in the Liberty Creek subdivision.
One homeowner used zip ties and a red brick as a temporary fix. Other mailboxes are still on the ground with the posts damaged beyond repair.
Since Lauren also heard from Nextdoor subscribers in neighborhoods like Fox Hollow and Lakeside Manor, she suspects there are even more victims.
"The damage is even farther out, so this might be a citywide problem," Banina said.
13News reached out to the city of Indianapolis about the damaged mailboxes. City leaders want to hear from anyone who believes a snowplow is responsible.
Homeowners can click here to file a notice of a tort claim if they suspect damage caused by a City of Indianapolis Snowplow Truck. They can also notify the city of Indianapolis by calling the Mayor’s Action Center at 317-327-4622 and get help with their claim.