Volunteers construct ramp for 77-year-old after she was ripped off by a bogus contractor

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Rosemary Wyatt says this Thanksgiving is already one to remember.

“I was laying in the bed thinking for Thanksgiving, and I said, ‘Lord, I’ve got too many things to be thankful for,’ and I really thank Him for the volunteers and the sacrifices that they made,” said Wyatt.

This time last year, Wyatt, 77, could not safely get in and out of her house. She has mobility issues after a series of health setbacks. In 2021, she paid a man $3,200 to install a ramp to her front door on Kenilworth Ave. The City of Toledo halted construction because inspectors said that man, Darnell Mays, 49, did not pull the proper permits and did not have a license to do the work.

Once 13abc aired Wyatt’s story, Bruce Swan, the owner of Adaptive Metal Works out of Blissfield, MI, volunteered to help.

“And they left their families and their children and gave up almost a whole year. That’s a lot of time to give up,” added Wyatt.

It took Swan and his team months to demolish the ramp that was improperly installed. Swan, a veteran who served two tours in Iraq, did not give up, even after the cost of the project ballooned to an estimated $18,000.

Nearly one year after Adaptive Metal Works got started, the ramp is now complete. It leads to Wyatt’s back porch. The front porch, she says, has too many structural issues caused by the installation of the first ramp, which was made out of concrete. Swan and his team were able to restore Wyatt’s front porch and build the ramp leading to the back door of her house free of charge.

“I feel better because I’m not a prisoner,” said Wyatt, “and I just really want Toledo to know that there are some good people still around, and there are some caring, kind and compassionate people.”

Meantime, court records show Mays has a bench warrant out for his arrest in connection to this case.

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