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Hampton family says pothole damaged van used to transport paralyzed son

Posted at 8:49 PM, Mar 05, 2013
and last updated 2013-03-06 06:57:33-05

Hampton, Va. - A Hampton family is fighting VDOT and TME after they say potholes damaged the van they use to transport their paralyzed son.

The Sidney family is now facing hundreds of dollars in repair bills after they ran into their own pothole emergency on the Monitor Merrimac on Monday.

The van is now out of commission, sitting unused in their front yard.

Without it, their disabled son has no way of getting around town.

The Sidneys went to TME Enterprises to file a pothole damage claim and say they got the run around.

“That’s how I figure they are getting away with it; they want you to get frustrated, want you to get upset, they want you to let it go. They want you to go through your insurance,” says Shonda.

TME's own records back up Shonda's suspicions.

A NewsChannel 3 investigation uncovered five years’ worth of monthly reports kept by the company, and they show not a single pothole claim has been paid out.

In a call log entry from 2008, a TME claims worker informs a driver that she won't be compensated for damage and "advised her she should consider contacting her insurance agent and reference road hazards policy."

But even though so many before them have failed, this family says they won't give up the fight against TME.

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