Family Of Disabled Teen Takes Town Of Hempstead To Task Over Lack Of Snow Removal

LEVITTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The snow, slush and ice create added problems for the disabled and their caregivers.

A Long Island mother told CBS2's Jennifer McLogan on Tuesday that a lack of snow clearing has made it nearly impossible for her son to get proper medical care.

Lenny Tobie lives with quadriplegic cerebral palsy. The 15-year-old loves school and music, but has been house-bound for days at a time this winter.

"Nobody knows what it's like unless you are in our shoes," said Daniela Tobie, Lenny's mother.

Lenny's parents' latest hurdle was a near fiasco at their pediatrician's office in Levittown.

"My son woke up with 102.5 fever and he had the chills, and he is six weeks after major surgery," Daniela Tobie said.

But mounds of snow in the Hempstead town lot prevented the Tobies from being able to park and move Lenny's wheelchair through the slippery muck.

"I could not get him out of the van because the thick sheet of ice would not make my lift to lay flat," Daniela Tobie said.

So the doctor had to make a house call -- into the van.

"The doctor came out with his winter coat on. I actually guided him into the van, holding his elbow, because I was afraid of him slipping on the ice himself," Daniela Tobie said.

Crowded into the handicapped van, Lenny's doctor was able to take a nose swab to test for the flu.

"People slip and fall getting out of the car. People have trouble with wheelchairs. Last year in January, I actually slipped on the ice and broke my back," Dr. Ronald Kahn added.

The doctor's office manager claimed the town rarely plows the handicapped spots in the eight years she's worked here.

"I've called plenty of times. I call every single year," Sylvia Dacunha said.

Despite saying it has no records of snow-related complaints coming from the lot, the town immediately dispatched highway workers to remove snow from handicapped stalls.

"The Town of Hempstead is committed to providing safe access in municipal parking fields for all residents," Hempstead spokesperson Mike Deery said.

Still, for the Tobies and the doctor, the lack of plowing seemed like the ultimate slap in the face.

"I was in disbelief because I couldn't believe the circumstances we were put though," Daniela Tobie said.

The Tobies said they hope store owners and landlords will think before pushing snow into parking stalls for the physically challenged, McLogan reported.