When it rains it pours?
Sheesh. I’ve been a bit remiss in posting lately, with stuff interrupting life. In a rash of more bad luck, I had an accident. In my wheelchair. My sweet red chair, that I’ve tried so hard to not scratch, despite taking nose dives on a regular basis….well, it broke. The frame where it connects to the front wheel snapped clean in half.
I was going down my alley, walking Borias to Starbucks, when I heard a pop, sort of like running over a bubble wrap piece. I shrugged and kept going, got across the street, and splat! Fell flat on my face and side so hard, I saw stars. The front wheel went out from under me, and I didn’t realize it til I tried to get back in my chair. Talk about being up poo creek!
A neighbor was walking by with her dog, and offered to help, saying she was going to get duct tape. I wasn’t so sure that was going to really help much, so I called 911 while I waited. It was a monday, and I thought it might be slow enough to send help for this situation. Paramedics were just down the street, and arrived right away. So we duct taped up the chair, and the guys lifted me back in. I got walked back home, but fell out one more time in the alley. A neighbor happened to be outside, thankfully, and helped me back in. What a pain!
As if that wasn’t bad enough? I went to the company that made the chair-my second frame, because the first one wasn’t the right dimensions, and got it welded. Then I found out they were going to refuse to make me another one different from this one. All I wanted was a slightly longer wheelbase, so I don’t fall out so much, and stress the frame. Doesn’t seem like an unreasonable thing to request, does it? Nope, they were going to stick to their guns on this one. Unbelievable.
So I said I’d get back to them, and got a referral to an attorney. I hurt in places I didn’t think I could hurt. I had an expensive lens in my backpack that got slammed to the sidewalk. I would think the attitude of the wheelchair company in question would be just a little bit more accommodating. Sad it has to come to this, seems to me it would be the right thing to do, to make it right.
Only problem is, in the meantime I won’t be getting that new frame while this is being disputed. And I’m really scared the weld is not going to hold. Not a good feeling to be wheeling around worried that your chair is going to slam you to the ground again. I can get reimbursed for a new chair, of course, when this is settled. But I don’t really have a spare 2 grand around to get one. So I’m trying to think of something. Maybe I can get one through Medi-Cal at last, though that can take months. I’ll just have to be very, very careful in the meantime!
No going zoom zoom with Borias!
