Friend in wheelchair keeps falling out of wheelchair

[Pennywise1]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Pennsylvania
For the last several days ive been hanging out with a friend of mine who is confined to a wheelchair. Neither him or I drive so we are constantly taking the bus. In order to get to the bus we have to travel along private and public sidewalks. During the course of going from point A to B to get to the bus or our destination I have witnessed my friend fall out of his wheelchair 3 seperate times because the sidewalks are not pitched properly. In other words when we come to the point where a sidewalk runs into a driveway the pitch of the sidewalk is too steep and the rear end of my friends wherlchair lifts off the ground causing my friend to fall out of his wheelchair. In other instances my friend cannot cross the street because the sidewalks are in terrible condition and his wheelchair bottoms out. He then has to travel along the road but has been warned by police that doing so can result in a citation. It really bothers me to see my friend tumble out of his chair 3 times because of the poor condition of these sidewalks. Furthermore, these sidewlks are in a major city in Pennsylvania. He has suffered bumps. Bruises. Scrapes. Bloody nose and bloody knees. Does he have any recourse? I thank you in advance for reading this and providing insight into this matter.

 

[quincy]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Pennsylvania
For the last several days ive been hanging out with a friend of mine who is confined to a wheelchair. Neither him or I drive so we are constantly taking the bus. In order to get to the bus we have to travel along private and public sidewalks. During the course of going from point A to B to get to the bus or our destination I have witnessed my friend fall out of his wheelchair 3 seperate times because the sidewalks are not pitched properly. In other words when we come to the point where a sidewalk runs into a driveway the pitch of the sidewalk is too steep and the rear end of my friends wherlchair lifts off the ground causing my friend to fall out of his wheelchair. In other instances my friend cannot cross the street because the sidewalks are in terrible condition and his wheelchair bottoms out. He then has to travel along the road but has been warned by police that doing so can result in a citation. It really bothers me to see my friend tumble out of his chair 3 times because of the poor condition of these sidewalks. Furthermore, these sidewlks are in a major city in Pennsylvania. He has suffered bumps. Bruises. Scrapes. Bloody nose and bloody knees. Does he have any recourse? I thank you in advance for reading this and providing insight into this matter.

Your friend should purchase a wheelchair seatbelt to prevent him from tumbling. Wheelchair seatbelts come in a wide variety. There is even a wheelchair seatbelt sold at Walgreen's for as little as $18.

 

[Pennywise1]

Your friend should purchase a wheelchair seatbelt to prevent him from tumbling. Wheelchair seatbelts come in a wide variety. There is even a wheelchair seatbelt sold at Walgreen's for as little as $18.

Thankyou Quincy. Perhaps he should. Its still saddens me to see someone tumble out of their chair because of the conditions these sidewalks are in. Last i remember pedestrians came before vehicles. However, i get your point but im still reluctant to believe a seatbelt is the cure all to this situation. My friend is 6'5" 375lbs. If hs did utilize a seatbelt theres a chance the chair might go tumbling with him as per Newtons law of motion. Idk. It just sucks to see the guy take a spill like that. Thanks for responding

 

[Silverplum]

He should contact the city.

 

[Silverplum]

If you can't figure out how to express yourself without using rude words, then try www.thesaurus.com

 

[Pennywise1]

He should contact the city.

Thank you Silverplum. . Im not trying to give the impression we are sue happy im just shocked at what someone has to go through who is truly disabled. Witnessing this happen 3 times i just feel bad for the guy. I agree with quincy, a seatbelt could have prevented him twice from falling out of his chair but the first time i saw it happen it was a bad scene. It just sucks the guy has to go through that.

 

[Pennywise1]

If you can't figure out how to express yourself without using rude words, then try www.thesaurus.com

I agree. I apologize. I will edit.

 

[I'mTheFather]

Your friend can contact this agency to see if there are other options:

http://www.pacommutes.com/seniors-and-persons-with-disabilities/

 

[Pennywise1]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Pennsylvania
For the last several days ive been hanging out with a friend of mine who is confined to a wheelchair. Neither him or I drive so we are constantly taking the bus. In order to get to the bus we have to travel along private and public sidewalks. During the course of going from point A to B to get to the bus or our destination I have witnessed my friend fall out of his wheelchair 3 seperate times because the sidewalks are not pitched properly. In other words when we come to the point where a sidewalk runs into a driveway the pitch of the sidewalk is too steep and the rear end of my friends wherlchair lifts off the ground causing my friend to fall out of his wheelchair. In other instances my friend cannot cross the street because the sidewalks are in terrible condition and his wheelchair bottoms out. He then has to travel along the road but has been warned by police that doing so can result in a citation. It really bothers me to see my friend tumble out of his chair 3 times because of the poor condition of these sidewalks. Furthermore, these sidewlks are in a major city in Pennsylvania. He has suffered bumps. Bruises. Scrapes. Bloody nose and bloody knees. Does he have any recourse? I thank you in advance for reading this and providing insight into this matter.

I guess there really isnt recourse. It was just a bad thing to witness. Especially when transgender bathrooms are getting more attention than a decorated war vet unable to get from point A to B without risking injury because of the sidewalk conditions. Citys are strapped for cash and trying their best to accomodate the handicapped. We dont live in a perfect world and its just unfortunate and it caused me a little sensitivity. Thanks for allowing me to sound off, im definitely not trying to get banned from this forum since its the most legit free legal advice site on the web. Again, i apologize for my poor language earlier and bad acumen.

 

[Pennywise1]

Your friend can contact this agency to see if there are other options:

http://www.pacommutes.com/seniors-and-persons-with-disabilities/

Thank you.

 

[I'mTheFather]

You're welcome. Since your friend is also a veteran, you may want to try some of the links on this page:

http://www.dmva.pa.gov/veteransaffairs/Pages/Programs%20and%20Services/Veterans-Resource-Online-Directory.aspx#.Vz58LoRh1p8

 

[Pennywise1]

You're welcome. Since your friend is also a veteran, you may want to try some of the links on this page:

http://www.dmva.pa.gov/veteransaffairs/Pages/Programs%20and%20Services/Veterans-Resource-Online-Directory.aspx#.Vz58LoRh1p8

Thankyou I'm the father, there are a lot of helpful resources on the page that you provided me, i appreciate you posting this link. I will see my friend tomorrow and look over everything. There is a van service provided by the VA in the county we live in. Provided you give them 1 week advanced notice they will pick you up and take you door to door to appointments, shopping etc. However, sometimes he just wants to get out of the house and after 6pm most transportation services stop running in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. I will begin to comb through the page that you provided us a link to. Sincerely appreciated.

 

[Dave1952]

Has your friend investigated "all terrain" wheelchairs? They are pricey but may help him. I don't think that cities budget much for sidewalk maintenance and he will always face uneven sidewalks
Many TV stations will do stories on topics of local interest. He should give them a call. His story will embarrass the local government. I suspect that the result will be fixing his path to the bus stop. Of course, once he reaches the destination bus stop then he's back on uneven sidewalk. And no municipality is going to fix every sidewalk everywhere.This is why I suggest the all-terrain option. I like the seat belt suggestion, too.

 

[Pennywise1]

Has your friend investigated "all terrain" wheelchairs? They are pricey but may help him. I don't think that cities budget much for sidewalk maintenance and he will always face uneven sidewalks
Many TV stations will do stories on topics of local interest. He should give them a call. His story will embarrass the local government. I suspect that the result will be fixing his path to the bus stop. Of course, once he reaches the destination bus stop then he's back on uneven sidewalk. And no municipality is going to fix every sidewalk everywhere.This is why I suggest the all-terrain option. I like the seat belt suggestion, too.

Hey Dave, great advice. Yesterday i was going to start walking with him and use my phone to video what he has to go through during the day just to get from point A to B. Eventually his chair would bottom out or again he would tumble out of his chair, and like you said, submit this video to the local new or tv station. Its not just the route to the bus stop that has terrible sidewalks, its everywhere. The all terrain wheelchair, seatbelt and tv station are all good ideas. Thank you for responding, i will run everything by my friend today and see how he feels.