ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A Perry man struggles to get answers after weeks of calling about expenses when his car was towed as he parked near the emergency entrance at Rochester General Hospital (RGH).
News10NBC’s Erin Mahon met with the man on Tuesday to hear his side of the story.
Ozzimo’s medical history
Salvatore Ozzimo has dealt with chest pain for the last three years.
“I’ve probably been in the emergency room three or four times thinking it’s a heart attack. And they said, ‘No, your heart’s doing fine,'” said.
He was on the phone with a nurse last month who wanted to call him an ambulance. But since he had false alarms before, he declined. This time, he decided to drive himself. But by the time he got to the hospital, the pain was even worse.
Parking pain
“I couldn’t think I was having such terrible chest pain just in the fear basin. I wasn’t about to drive around and look for a parking spot,” Ozzimo added.
Salvatore Ozzimo said he parked his car near the emergency room entrance in a hurry to get help, and ended up having a heart attack. He was released a few days later, and by that time, his car was gone. The hospital gave him a ride home. Later that night, it called to confirm his car was towed. The taxi ride to get the car was $150, and the tow charge came out to a little more than $550.
Ozzimo is now left with more than $700 in fees.
He says he tried calling RGH numerous times over the last month to figure out if there would be any help with the costs. We finally got an answer on Tuesday afternoon.
Originally, Ozzimo says the hospital told him he might be able to file a claim form for the costs.
Erin Mahon: “How many times did you call in the last month?”
“Well, I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say 15. And like I said yesterday, I called in and said, ‘Are you people ever going to get back to me? Let me know one way or the other.’ And they wouldn’t have if you hadn’t called them,” Ozzimo said.
Erin reached out to the hospital on Monday morning, as Ozzimo said he left a voicemail in the afternoon.
RGH’s response
After following up Tuesday, the hospital issued the following statement:
“There are situations when a patient leaves a car while seeking immediate medical assistance. But if a vehicle needs to be towed to maintain safe access, those fees are handled between the car owner and tow company.”
Ozzimo says he will be okay financially if he has to pay the full $750 out of pocket. He says it will affect Christmas gifts for his family, but he’s grateful to have his health.
RGH’s statement also says anyone in this kind of emergency situation should tell hospital security what’s going on if they need to leave the car.
A spokesperson says every effort will be made to contact the car’s owner “Before further action is taken.”
Perry man faces $700 in fees after parking near ER entrance during heart attack WHEC.com.
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