LOVELAND, OHIO — A call for help from a Loveland mother led her to finally see a solution after her son with autism was forced to navigate a trail to his bus stop covered in snow and ice.
"I'm not quite sure whose in charge of the bike trail, but I would like to find that out. I just really wish to get it fixed," said Heather Kastrup.
Kastrup told us her son Leo Pride catches the bus right outside their apartment complex on Arrowhead Trail. He goes to Loveland Early Childhood Center. His stop is at the Bridge Street Trail Head, which had been snow-covered since the latest big winter storm.
We watched as kids struggled to walk after getting off the school bus Thursday.
"I've fallen down before, I'm no stranger to it. It's just ridiculous we have to deal with this," Kastrup said.
WATCH: A Loveland mother receives help after her son had to navigate an icy trail to his bus stop for weeks
The dangerous conditions created additional challenges for Kastrup's family.
"So my 18-month-old normally comes with me, but this little guy (Leo), he'll run off if he gets a chance. I can't push a stroller through that," Kastrup said.
Kastrup said she reached out to the City of Loveland, the school's principal and parks and recreation, but hadn't received an answer. That's when she contacted WCPO for help.
"We were hoping we could come up with a solution," Kastrup said.
When we called the Loveland Early Childhood Center, district officials said they offered to move the bus pickup to the entrance of the apartment complex. But Kastrup said she doesn't feel it's a safe option due to traffic.
We also contacted the City of Loveland and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). ODNR officials said they would look into who is responsible for clearing the area.
"We didn't know that was a bus stop, but we're going to look into that further, and in the meantime, we are going to send someone to go shovel," said an ODNR Rep.
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Hours after we first reached out, we received a call back with news that the area would be cleaned up by ODNR.
Kastrup said when she returned home, her apartment complex also seemed to have shoveled the walkway.
