Woman says road conditions kept emergency responders from her parents’ home during assault

IBERIA PARISH, La. (KLFY) — An Iberia Parish woman says the condition of the road to her parents’ home on Chivalry Drive is so poor that officers couldn’t get to the house when her mother called 911 for help during an assault.

“She explained to them that she was being assaulted, and they simply just told her that they could not get down here,” Misty Romero said.

Romero says luckily everything turned out okay, and her mother was fine.

She says, however, she’s now worried about her father, who recently had a stroke.

“My main concern is that there’s another stroke coming or a heart attack. What if it’s raining on that day? What if they can’t get to him?” Romero asked.

It’s a question that she says haunts her every day.

“I just want to know that if my daddy has a heart attack, an ambulance can get to him in time to do something about it. I want to know that if my mom gets assaulted, the cops can come down here and get to her. I mean, is that too much to ask from your city?” Romero told News 10.

Iberia Parish Councilman Chad Maturin said because the road is private, there’s nothing parish government can do.

“Unfortunately, we see that often. We have some issues where emergency vehicles can’t obtain access to it,” Maturin said.

Maturin says parish government cannot spend public funds on a private road.

“It’s a private matter. It’s not a parish matter that parish government can get involved in,” Maturin added.

Romero’s mom, Carla, said she called the city, and she was told the city would take control of the road if she would first pave it.

She told News 10 that to add blacktop over the road, it would cost around $4,000, and they don’t have the money.

A spokesperson for the Iberia Parish Sheriff Office later told News 10 that officers did not respond to Romero’s mother’s call for help because she had canceled the call.