A lot folks spent part of the weekend shoveling and snow blowing, ending a week in which snow battered Omaha on at least three occasions.
Alexis Smith says a snow plow cut her off last Tuesday near 24th and Bristol causing nearly $13,000 dollars in damage. The claim could take months to settle and in the meantime Smith says she has to pay out of pocket for a rental car or Ubers and Lyfts to get to work.
"As we were going straight, the plow truck literally came right here and turned out in front of us, and hit the car on the top left side," said Smith."We thought for a second that the car was going to tip over because it was such a powerful hit to the side of our car."
Shaken but not seriously hurt, Smith and her boyfriend quickly realized the severity of the plow's damage.
"He said he didn't see us. He told us that he didn't see us at all," said Smith. "He completely admitted fault at the scene. He admitted 100 percent fault."
Her car is valued at about $5,000 but the cost of repairs far outweighs the vehicle's worth. And that was just the beginning of Smith's troubles.
"I was worried about how I was going to get to work and back. I had no idea it was going to be such a nightmare with the city at the time," said Smith.
She filed a claim with the city. The city's Law Office told her it could take two to three months to be resolved.
Meanwhile, Alexis is left taking the bus to work in below freezing temperatures. Oftentimes, late at night.
A single mother to her four-year-old son, Smith's left without a car to drop her son off at daycare near 132nd and Dodge. It's forced her to make a tough decision.
"I've had to have my son move into my moms temporarily which has been a huge emotional toll on me. My son is my everything. We are best friends since he's been born," said Smith. "I personally don't think it's fair that I don't have my son because of this situation because it's nothing I've done to only see my son on the weekends."
Smith says she'd like her claim to be resolved within a month. State law allows for the city to take up to six months to investigate claims but the city law office says claims are evaluated as quickly as possible. The law office says claims are resolved within a few weeks.
