LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE PARKED ON A CHICAGO STREET FOR A WEEK AND IT COULD BE TOWED AND SOLD OR EVEN SCRAPPED FOR MONEY. AND YOU WILL GET NOTHING FOR IT THANKS TO THE CITIES ABANDONED VEHICLE PROGRAM. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS FAMILY WHO LOST A $15,000 VAN WITH A CUSTOMIZED WHEELCHAIR LIFT. THEY TURN TO CBS 2 INVESTIGATOR DAVE SAVINI FOR HELP. IT IS VERY INFURIATING FOR THE CITY TO DO THAT WITH NO REGARD. WHO DID THIS VEHICLE BELONG TO? IT IS SICKENING. Reporter: STRICKEN WITH POLIO AND DIAGNOSED WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, IT IS FAIR TO SAY THAT LISANDRA VELEZ MOM , ANDREA SANTIAGO HAS HAD A TOUGH LIFE. FOR DECADES SHE DEPENDED ON A WHEELCHAIR AND WHEELCHAIR LIFTS TO GET AROUND. ESPECIALLY THIS EXPENSIVE CUSTOM HYDRAULIC LIFT WHICH WAS INSTALLED IN HER VAN, YOU COULD SEE PART OF IT THROUGH THE VANS WINDOW. WITH EQUIPMENT INSIGHT AND EVERYTHING, HE SAID A $10,000 HYDRAULIC LIFT? THE FAMILY FOR YEARS APART THE VAN LEGALLY ALONG THEIR STREET IN THIS JEFFERSON PARK NEIGHBORHOOD AND NEVER HAD ANY TROUBLE. Reporter: THE VAN CLEARLY HAD THE WHEELCHAIR INLAND ON THE PLATE. ON THE PLATE AND THERE IS A WHEELCHAIR INLAND ON THE SIDE OF THE DOOR BECAUSE IT HAS A WILL TO THE LEFT ON IT. Reporter: IN JUNE, A CHICAGO STREET SANITATION INVESTIGATOR SLAPPED AN ABANDONED VEHICLE STICKER LIKE THIS ON THE VAN AND MORNING THAT IF IT'S NOT MOVED IN SEVEN DAYS IT WOULD BE CONSIDERED ABANDONED AND TOWED. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY NOT ABANDONED. SHE HAS AILMENTS AND DOCTORS APPOINTMENTS THAT WE TAKE HER TO DEFINITELY NOT ABANDONED. Reporter: A SINGLE 311 CALL A MONTH EARLIER CLAIMING THE VEHICLE WAS ABANDONED TRIGGERED THE TOW. THE CALLER GAVE THE VANS LICENSE PLATE NUMBER AND GAVE A LOT OF WRONG INFORMATION DESCRIBING IT AS A FOUR-DOOR CHEVY SEDAN INSTEAD OF WHAT IT IS A GMC SAVANNA VAN. YOU'RE SAYING ALL THE NEIGHBORS ON THIS STREET SIGN A PETITION SAYING NONE OF THEM COMPLAINED TO THE CITY ABOUT IT. CORRECT. Reporter: NEIGHBORS WERE USED TO SEEING IT. INVESTIGATORS FOUND GOOGLE EARTH PHOTOS DATING BACK TO 2007 SHOWING THE VAN REGULARLY PARKED AGAIN LEGALLY ALL ALONG DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE STREET. EVEN IN MAY AND JUNE BEFORE IT WAS TOWED. SHE AND HER HUSBAND AND RALLY SAY THEY TOOK ACTION. Reporter: YOU SCREWED EVERYTHING UP THE WINDOWS AND PUT A SIGN UP SAYING THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ABANDONED. WE LEFT THE PHONE NUMBER FOR MY WIFE SO THEY COULD CALL AND WE MOVE THE VAN UP ONE SPOT. Reporter: DESPITE ALL OF THAT, THE VAN WAS TAKEN. EVERYONE -- ANYONE COULD SAY THAT A CAR IS ABANDONED. HE IS THE ATTORNEY. HE SUCCESSFULLY SUED THE CITY FOR OTHER SUSPICIOUS TICKETING. IT IS A SYSTEM AND IT IS OLD. IT IS A SLEAZY SCAM HE PRO -- FOR-PROFIT BUSINESS. Reporter: SHE LOST ABOUT $15,000 BECAUSE OF THE CITIES ACTIONS BECAUSE SHE NEVER GOT HER BANNER LEFT BACK. THE CITY CONTRACTOR GOT TO KEEP BOTH. THAT'S THE MOST SHOCKING PART. THEY CAN KEEP IT WITHOUT COMPENSATING YOU. Reporter: NICK WHO ALSO HAS MS AGREES WITH WHAT HAPPENED TO SANTIAGO AND HE AGREES THAT IT IS ALL WRONG. I FULLY SAY WE MADE A MISTAKE AND IT CAN HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE AND WE WILL LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKE. Reporter: WE TOLD HIM ABOUT HER CASE. HE SAID HE HAD NO IDEA THE SEA WAS RUNNING ITS ABANDONED VEHICLE PROGRAM THIS WAY. NOW HE WANTS TO CHANGE IT. YOU HELP PEOPLE HAVE MORE COMPASSION AND HAVE HALF A BRAIN TO SAY I CAN SEE THE LEFT HERE I CAN SEE THE HANDICAP PLATE. Reporter: WE FOUND THE COMPANY THAT TOTED, UNITED ROPE TOWING HAS A $60 MILLION CONTRACT WITH STREETS AND SANITATION TO HANDLE THE CITIES TOWING, PUTTING AN AUTO PEN MANAGEMENT. YOU RT ALSO OWNS DNR AND OTHER TOWING OPERATIONS. LAST YEAR, YOU RT DECLARED BANKRUPTCY CITING 85 MAIN DOLLAR NEVADA CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT INVOLVING IMPROPER TOES. THE COMPANY SANTIAGO'S VAN AT THE SHADOW AT A POUND FOR TWO WEEKS. THAN AS A CONTRACT ALLOWS HIM TO DO, THEY BOUGHT IT FROM THE CITY FOR $15. THE CITY SUPPOSEDLY SENT THIS LETTER TO SANTIAGO ADVISING HER THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN. THE FAMILY SAYS HE NEVER GOT THE LATTER. NOT A PHONE CALL, NOT A LETTER. WE RECEIVED NO NOTIFICATION. Reporter: SINCE 2017, THE CITY USED UNITED ROPE TOWING TO STORE 1478 ABANDONED VEHICLES. THIS IS THE SOLE TICKET 5% OF THEM TO UNITED ROPE TOTING. THE COMPANY GETS TO SELL THEM AS A -- KEEP THE PROFITS. WHAT IS ABANDONED HER MOM? IT WAS HER LIFELINE . IT'S LIKE HER LEGS. Reporter: THE VAN WAS YOUR FREEDOM? YES, MY FREEDOM. MY FREEDOM. Reporter: NO ONE FROM THE TOWING COMPANY WOULD TELL US EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO HER VEHICLE. WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR ABANDONED VEHICLE POSITIVELY? Reporter: AFTER THREE MONTHS OF SEARCHING FOR THE VAN, OUR INVESTIGATORS FINALLY TRACKED IT DOWN. UNITED ROAD TOWING GOT A JUNK TITLE FOR THE VAN AND SOLD IT AT AUCTION TO THE SALVAGE YARD FOR $650. BY THE TIME WE TRACED IT, IT WAS ALREADY CRUSHED AND BURIED SOMEWHERE IN HIS PILE OF SCRAP METAL. YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DID HERE VAN LEX WE KNOW. THE IMPOUND TICKET AND A CRESTED. WHAT? WHAT KIND OF COMPANY, WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES THIS TO A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY? I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW. BACK STREETS AND SANITATION GAVE A STATEMENT SAYING THEY STRICTLY FOLLOW CHICAGO'S MUNICIPAL COLD SPELLING OUT PROCEDURES ON RESPONDING TO THE ABANDONED VEHICLE COMPLAINTS. BECAUSE OF OUR FINDINGS, WE WANT THAT Reporter: THE ALDERMAN WANTS SWISS CHANGES. AND THE POLICE INVOLVEMENT WHEN THE VEHICLE IS READY TO -- REGISTERED TO A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY. THE FAMILY STARTED A GOFUNDME PAGE TO BUY A NEW VAN AND WHEELCHAIR LEFT. SO SHE MADE THE VEHICLE OR THEY MOVE THE VEHICLE AS INSTRUCTED. WHERE DO THEY EXPECT THEM TO TAKE IT OTHER THAN JUST MOVING IT TO A DIFFERENT SPOT? THIS IS SO INCLAIR CARE -- THIS IS SO UNCLEAR. THEY TAKE A PICTURE WHEN YOUR GARBAGE IS OVERFLOWING, THEY DON'T TAKE A PICTURE OF ABANDONED VEHICLES. THERE'S SO MANY BREAKDOWNS IN THE STORY. IT IS A $15,000 VEHICLE. THEY SELL IT TO THE SALVAGE YARD FOR 650, JUST UNBELIEVABLE.
