Well, I guess it's somewhat comforting to know we have all had some hair-raising experiences. Or is it? Maybe comforting isn't exactly the right word! I was driving home from work one afternoon, cruising peacefully on a long straight stretch of road. I casually took my hand off the control and rested my arm on the handle of my chair. As the van began to slow down, I reached for the hand control...except my arm wouldn't move! My coat was snagged on a wire! I yanked and yanked as the van traveled on by itself. I went over a mile before I finally yanked my coat free. I just thank the Lord that I was on open road when it happened. Still scared the bejeebers out of me.
Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: > Resent-From: quad-list@eskimo.com > From: "Joan Anglin" <poaj...@sbcglobal.net> > Date: March 30, 2015 at 8:32:30 PM EDT > To: "'Gmail'" <bobbiehumphre...@gmail.com>, <lwillis...@yahoo.com> > Cc: <quad-list@eskimo.com> > Subject: RE: [QUAD-L] Cushions > > Great stories Bobbie thanks for sharing. Joan > > From: Gmail [mailto:bobbiehumphre...@gmail.com] > Sent: Monday, March 30, 2015 2:12 PM > To: lwillis...@yahoo.com > Cc: quad-list@eskimo.com > Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] Cushions > > I also had 2 driving scares of being out of control. > > 1. I had a shoulder strap that "hooked" by a metal ring, attached to the > shoulder strap, to a "hook" on the floor. I moved a certain way and the ring > came off of the hook ... so now I was laying on the steering wheel traveling > about 40mph I aplyed the push break and came to a full stop but not until I > went up over the curb, onto the grass, and stopped 1 foot in front of a > telephone pole. > > 2. I was driving, Pete was with me, when out of the blue the shoulder strap, > that was mounted to the ceiling by 2 bolts, just came off all of a sudden. I > was, again, laying against the steering wheel and managed to apply the break. > Pete and I switched seats and he drove home. > > 3. I was driving using a U grip for steering and the brackets just came apart > onto the floor and I was holding the steering pin off the steering wheel. I > was only 1 mile from home and managed to steer home by putting my hand in > between the Y of the steering wheel. > > 4. Two different times I ended up with my bak-end of my van stuck in a ditch. > Thus was my first van that (fir some unknown reason) I had posie-traction > installed. So I just " floored" the van and the posie-traction "kicked" in to > gear and both times I literally bolted out, "air born" of my ditch(s). > Another time the posie-traction kicked in was when I was back a boat into the > water on a slippery ramp. I didn't want my muffler to go in the water so I " > floored" it and the van flew once again. > > One time I got stuck on ice, in February, by a remote lake all alone ... > before cell phones. It was about 4:00 I got on my CB radio to call for help. > The tow truck AND police care also got stuck and another tow truck had to > rescue us all. > > Bobbie > > Smile Everyday > > On Mar 30, 2015, at 7:13 AM, lwillis...@yahoo.com wrote: > > Wow, Ron. I can just imagine those moments when you were trying to regain > control. That helpless feeling of panic is simply beyond description. I know > I don't have the trust in my controls that I once did. I try to limit my solo > driving as well. For some reason I always think, What if this thing catches > on fire?" I guess I am paranoid. I do keep a fire extinguisher on board. > Anyway, Ron, I am certainly glad you came out unscathed. Our lives are tough > enough without these little escapades. > > Sent from my iPad > > Begin forwarded message: > > Resent-From: quad-list@eskimo.com > From: RONALD L PRACHT <r.pra...@sbcglobal.net> > Date: March 29, 2015 at 8:15:15 PM EDT > To: Quad-list Post <quad-list@eskimo.com> > Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] Cushions > Reply-To: RONALD L PRACHT <r.pra...@sbcglobal.net> > > Ive had two situations in my van that were crazy.One time I pressed down on > the monarch hand control from a stop light and the accelerator got stuck at > 85 percent throttle. The other time I was coming down a hill and the engine > died, the people that installed my hand controls never accounted for the > engine being off when you apply the brake using the hand control. Because I > had to press much harder because the engine died there wasn't enough travel > for the control and the control was hitting the dashboard and I couldn't > stop. I quickly put the emergency brake on, then pressed as hard as I could > on the hand control bending the plastic on the dash. I was able to get about > 60 percent brake control and the added help from the emergency brake to be > able to top just short of a pole. I mean only 20 feet to spare. > > Ron > > > > On Sunday, March 29, 2015 2:47 PM, Joan Anglin <poaj...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: > > > WOW, and I thought that breaking my leg when my chair brakes failed was > traumatic! But here you are still contributing to this group, thank goodness. > Glad that you made it through what had to have been a miserable time of your > life. Joan > > From: lwillis...@yahoo.com [mailto:lwillis...@yahoo.com] > Sent: Sunday, March 29, 2015 10:17 AM > To: quad-list@eskimo.com > Subject: Fwd: [QUAD-L] Cushions > > Back in the nineties I bought a brand new Caravan, an IMS conversion. The > tie-down was a floor-post with the latch on the chair. In the first month it > released me twice without cause. Fortunately I was going slow and able to > stop both times. Until.... On July 14 I backed out of my parents drive. I > pulled it into drive and pulled back on the accelerator. The van lurched > forward....and my tie-down released. The van picked up speed and I went > rolling helplessly to the back of the van. I left the road, jumped a ditch, > and hit a large tree head-on at 45 mph. I was thrown forward violently and > jammed under the dashboard. The van was totaled. It took EMT nearly three > hours to get me out. My chair was bent like a pretzel, my legs broke and > knees shattered, concussion and internal bleeding. The docs wanted to > amputate my legs but I refused. Today they stay bent and spastic and make me > miserable. I should have let them cut. Anyway, that's how I broke my legs. > > Larry Willis > Retired and proud of it > > > Begin forwarded message: > Resent-From: quad-list@eskimo.com > From: Larry Willis <lwillis82...@gmail.com> > Date: March 28, 2015 at 10:34:02 PM EDT > To: quad-list@eskimo.com > Subject: Fwd: [QUAD-L] Cushions > Hit a tree in my van. I'll fill in the details tomorrow. > > Larry Willis > Retired and proud of it > > > Begin forwarded message: > Resent-From: quad-list@eskimo.com > From: RONALD L PRACHT <r.pra...@sbcglobal.net> > Date: March 28, 2015 at 8:53:11 PM EDT > To: Quad-list Post <quad-list@eskimo.com> > Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] Cushions > Reply-To: RONALD L PRACHT <r.pra...@sbcglobal.net> > How did you break your legs Larry? I would like to hear the > story............................. > > Ron > > > On Saturday, March 28, 2015 7:37 PM, Larry Willis <lwillis82...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > For the first 25 years of my quad life I used a simple ten dollar inflatable > cushion....or nothing. I never had even a hint of a sore. Then I broke both > legs and had to wear casts for six months. The lousy things created awful > sores on my heels, ankles, knees, everywhere the cast touched with any > pressure. It was like that opened the floodgates. I have fought sores > constantly since then. They simply will not heal. I have three right now -- > on my butt, hip, and ankle. Had them for over five years. I have resigned to > take them with me to the grave. I am near 63 years old; can't be that much > longer. > > Larry Willis > Retired and proud of it > >
