My Wheelchair Crash!

Thursday, on my way out to lunch, my wheelchair crashed, right off a cliff!  Ok, so the cliff was only 18" tall, but in a power chair weighing something over 200 lb. it was a big crash, and I was trapped!

To understand this dramatic story, you need to know that we have no ramp leading up to our front door.  Instead we have a very simple lift inside the garage.  It's just like the open platform of a small elevator.  It lifts me up 18" going into the house and down 18" going out.  Works well; I've probably used it 2000 times in 7 years.

I typically roll through the garage door from the kitchen into the garage, onto a small landing where I can stop, make sure the door has closed behind me, and press the button to open the garage door.  Then I drive forward 4 feet until I'm parked on the lift, and down I go.  It's obviously essential that anyone using it has left it in the upper position.  (I'm normally the only one who uses it).

But Thursday Mrs. F.G. had left first; she was running a workshop on fabric bowl-making for the Quilting Guild.  She had a lot of stuff with her, including a very heavy sewing machine, so she used the lift to get it down, loaded the van, and left.

You've probably guessed by now.  Yes, she left the lift in the down position, first time in 7 years.  I rolled into the dark garage, pulled the door closed behind me, pressed the button to open the garage door, and started forward.  With the lift in the down position I went right over the edge, and the wheelchair went with me!

I was trapped under a heavy wheelchair, paralyzed from the chest down.  After mentally checking to see if anything seemed broken, (bones I mean) I asked myself, how the hell was I going to get out of here!  Eventually I was able to reach back and undo my seatbelt.  My body fell down and I was able to drag myself a few inches forward on my elbows.

Luckily I had reserved a ride with Meaford Moves, and within minutes he had arrived.  Seeing me flat on the garage floor, he came running.  By grabbing my arms he was able to drag me forward a foot or two, and then lift the wheelchair into its normal upright position.  It took me about 5 seconds to realize we needed help, so I called 911, expecting to ask for the fire department.  

Turns out it's the paramedics who deal with falls, and we live three blocks from the hospital, so they were there pretty quick!  First they asked me questions, then they rolled me onto my back, then they asked me more questions.  Did I hit my head? (no).  Is there any bleeding? (no), do I hurt anywhere? (no), etc.  They took my blood pressure, which was a little high, and then they positioned me and lifted me back into my chair in about 3 seconds.  They said they'd had lots of practice; it's their most common callout.

I mosied around the garage a bit, reassured them I felt fine, and said they didn't need to hang around.  They did make me sign an electronic form saying I had declined the opportunity t go to the hospital.  They said to watch for any swelling.

Then the ambulance left and I went for a short ride on the street.  I felt mostly recovered, even if I was in shock!  After a few deep breaths I decided I was going to head out for lunch anyway, and I did!