On Wednesday a Magistrate in Punta Gorda ruled that Toledo West Area Representative - the Honorable Marcial Mes had no case to answer for knocking down two children on the Southern Highway in January. Barring any appeal, the case is over for Mes. But we found out today that's its far from the end of the story for the victims: 15 year old Samantha Romero and 2 year old Denvor Gomez and that's because Samantha is still unable to walk. And while losing the case was one thing, insult was added to their injuries this afternoon when the family was turned away from Universal Health Services.
You heard right, the family rented a special van and left Forest Home in Toledo at 4 am this morning for a scheduled appointment with a doctor at Universal this afternoon. But when they got there, they were refused treatment because the bill hasn't been paid. The family is outraged because they say Marcial Mes told them, and his attorney Dickie Bradley told us, that the medical bills would be taken care of. Samantha's mom Elma Parham says she thought so too until this afternoon when she was turned back.
Elma Parham, Mother of Accident Victim
"I took my daughter for her appointment and when I went there I saw Dr. Sosa and everything and he gave me a paper to go to the X-ray department and when I went there I gave the girl the paper and she came back and told me that they can't do the x-ray because the bills aren't paid and my daughter's foot is getting infected right now and I think if they don't do something about
it, she could lose her feet and then we would have a loss too because if she loses one of her feet, what would happen."
Keith Swift,
Why did she need to see the doctor today?
Elma Parham,
"She needed to take out the pins and do some more x-ray and they just said that the bills aren't paid and they can't do it."
Keith Swift,
So what are you going to do now?
Elma Parham,
"Well I don't know what we should do or what I should do because right now I am really vex about it because today is her appointment to come and take out the pins and then they turned us back. On the news I heard them say that the bills are all paid but when we get to the hospital, the bills aren't paid and they turned us back. I really need my child to be attended in her condition right now with her feet."
Keith Swift,
You must be incredibly frustrated.
Elma Parham,
"Well yes I am real vex because if the doctor can turn me back and see the condition of her, what will we do. We are a poor family and we don't have the money to say go and pay the doctor to see her, that is his responsibility. He did that to my child and grandchild and now he is turning his back."
Keith Swift,
But a court said he didn't do it, he is not responsible.
Elma Parham,
"The court said he didn't do it, well that is what the court said."
Samantha originally agreed to speak to us but she was in too much pain to talk. Her foot was visibly swollen. Equally outraged is Samantha's sister and Denvor's mother Keniesha Romero. Her son Denvor received severe head injuries and is Still recovering but Keniesha Romero says he still isn't the same. She says Mes has not come through on his promise to help the family with the medical bills and she can't pay them because she had to quit her job to take care of her ailing son.
Keniesha Romero, Mother of Accident Victim
"As for my son, Mr. Mes went there after the case and I told him that Dr. Cervantes ordered a test on Denvor's head to do another checkup because I told him about the feeling the child has and so and he said he had to confirm
with the doctors first before he did anything. I told him that I don't have a job, I lost my job because of him, because I am here having to care of my son. I don't have anyone to leave my son with or anything like that and everything is all his responsibility and it looks like he is running away from his responsibility now."
Keith Swift,
How has your son been doing?
Keniesha Romero,
"Well he is still not doing well. He doesn't walk straight as he used to walk first so all of that I have to go back to the doctor to check on. If he isn't guilty then why would he put the bills in his name? If he knew he wasn't in the wrong why would he do that? All I want them to know is that God isn't sleeping and we will see justice."
The family says Mes went to visit them after the trial and again promised to continue assisting them but he only gave them $200. The bill at Universal Health Services is reportedly close to $98,000. Samantha's attending physician at Universal told us this evening that all he knows is that he sent them for an x-ray and is still waiting for the family to return with the results.
