Editor's note: Contact7 seeks out audience tips and feedback to help people in need, resolve problems and hold the powerful accountable. If you know of a community need our call center could address, or have a story idea for our investigative team to pursue, please email us at contact7@thedenverchannel.com or call (720) 462-7777. Find more Contact7 stories here.
DENVER — A day after Contact7 aired her story, a local concrete contractor has stepped in to help a Denver senior whose wheelchair ramp was built too narrow and too steep for her to use.
“I feel I’m trapped,” 87-year-old April told Contact7 on Wednesday.
She had a handicap-accessible concrete ramp built out her front door by a handyman, but the ramp was so steep and so narrow that she couldn’t even get out of her home.
Contact7 aired that story on Wednesday. It took one day to get a response.
“My dad actually forwarded me the story and wanted to help out April,” Julenny Guizar told Denver7.
“When I heard that she was trapped, I didn’t feel good to myself that she was trapped in a place that she was suppose to be free,” Julenny’s father, Alfredo, said. “So that’s why we decided to come over and do something about it.”
Julenny, Alfredo, and a crew of workers from Guizar Concrete Construction were at April’s house on Friday morning taking measurements.
“The plan is to make the current ramp here into an ADA ramp,” Julenny said.
“I was astounded. I was really surprised that it happened so fast,” April said from her living room.
Guizar will be taking out the old ramp and pouring brand new concrete that’s much less steep. They will also be widening the top of the ramp so April can walk out of her home and turn around with her walker.
“We want to give her the ability to be able to come out and enjoy life like everyone else,” Julenny said. “We don’t want her to feel like she’s trapped at home.”
April is now admittedly in a much better mood, just two days after she first asked for a helping hand. That mood became even better when she heard the price tag of her brand new ramp.
“We’re actually gonna do this for free,” Julenny said.
Construction of the new ramp will likely happen early next week.
“It makes me feel like there must be a lot of good people out there,” April said.
