A woman says her 80-year-old mother tipped over in her motorized wheelchair in bushes and snow after MetroAccess left her alone in the freezing cold in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
Consuelo Edwards said her mother, Mary Artis, suffers from acute dementia and other medical complications.
"My heart stopped, because I couldn't imagine 16 degrees outside, turned upside-down in the snow," Edwards said.
Edwards said she walked her mother to the curb for a medical appointment and met the MetroAccess driver as she had done many times before.
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"I transferred custody to the driver, came back inside, waved goodbye. I'm under the impression that my mother is on her way to dialysis," Edwards said.
But Edwards said her mother was refused service by the MetroAccess driver because her wheelchair was too heavy.
Edwards said neither the driver nor MetroAccess called her to tell her they left her mother by the curb. That's when the fall happened.
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After Artis spent an hour lying there, a neighbor heard her calling for help, Edwards said. That neighbor ran to help and then knocked on her front door.
"If my neighbor hadn't heard her call out for help, she could have laid out there for hours. And that's the part that I find very disturbing," Edwards said.
Artis was taken to the hospital and is now back home with some bruising and swelling, especially on her hand. Thankfully, she has no signs of frostbite.
Edwards said her mother should not have never been denied service because she has seen the same type of vehicle transport her mother in the same wheelchair before. She said her mother's wheelchair is actually light.
Here's what Metro said
Metro declined News4's request for an interview but issued this statement:
"The driver believed the customer’s motorized wheelchair could not be transported in the minivan. This information was communicated to the customer, but no attempt was made by the driver or dispatcher to arrange for another vehicle to arrive at the residence for transport. The incident is under investigation and the people involved will be held accountable for their actions if proper protocols were not followed."
Edwards said this is not the first time she has had issues with MetroAccess.
"I just felt this time, enough was enough. I've made complaints over and over again," she said. "My thing is, I think MetroAccess really needs to do better and be more accountable."
She said she's considering legal action as Metro investigates.
CORRECTION (Friday, Jan. 23 at 7:01 a.m.): The spelling of Mary Artis' name has been corrected.