Lahontan Dam Road - Photo

In Churchill County, a stretch of Lahontan Dam Road has sat unattended for years.

Since the road is in disrepair, some emergency vehicles have been unable to pass through.

Larry Allen Pendelton lived a few miles off of U.S. Route 50 near the Lahontan Reservoir.

As a disabled veteran, he received full in-home care from the VA for his open diabetic wounds.

"He desperately needed sterile wound care," says his son, John Morton. "The VA was coming out here, I'll give them that, they were coming out here. But it got so bad they just they cut him off, said, sorry, we can't go out there anymore. Gave him a little scooter, gave him a hospital bed and said have a nice death."

Pendelton passed away last week while waiting for an ambulance.

Morton has been advocating for the county to maintain the road for quite some time.

"He ended up passing away three weeks, almost to the day after I popped up for the Highway Commissioners meeting and pleaded with all the local government," Morton says.

Morton says his family isn't the only one who's had to suffer the consequences. Some of his neighbors have had to as well, including his nearest ones.

"His wife was advised to load him up and we'll meet you at the pavement as he's dying," he says, "and he didn't make it. And now she has to live with that for the rest of her life."

Morton says he reached out to Social Services, the EMT Chief for his area, the Churchill County Sheriff's Office, and the County Road Supervisor.

"They couldn't find a single bone to throw us in their closets full of skeletons," Morton says. "Like, not a single bone."

So just how bad is this stretch of road to drive? 

John Morton led 2 News Nevada on a drive down the stretch of Lahontan Dam Road between U.S. 50 and his property.

On several sections of the drive, we had to use the wrong side of the road to avoid large potholes, rocks sticking out of the ground, and ruts.

Even then, it was still a bumpy ride. Our crew had to drive no faster than eight miles per hour and use four-wheel-drive for the entire eight-mile drive.

Churchill County marks this road as a minor road, meaning it's up to the residents to maintain it.

"It's their choice if they want to get a cooperative together or if they want to individually maintain their section of the road," says Churchill County Sheriff Lee Orozco.

And so, Morton says he maintained what he could for as long as he could.

"I had a little Kubota, 25 horsepower," he says, "and I bought the implements to try to drag it myself. and I did that for six years."

Morton says he had to stop once he got surgery.

Other roads nearby, such as Fisherman Road and Cadet Road, are county-maintained, despite much fewer neighbors.

"There's one resident and another big, connected farmer on Cadet Road. And it's like, that does not seem equal fair treatment to us at all," he says.

Morton hopes someone with the county sees this story and does something about Lahontan Dam Road.

"Well, dad, I tried," he says. "Just too little, too late, definition of it, I guess. Hopefully after we do this, it won't happen to someone else."

Lahontan Dam Road is impassable for emergency vehicles.