... Or Not Life

[Donno]

This really sucks.

Man in Wheelchair Dies After Being Hit By Car, Driver Charged
May 24th, 2014


WAREHAM, Mass. (AP) ? A Massachusetts driver has been charged with running over a 24-year-old man in a wheelchair, killing him.

Wareham police say a car driven by 28-year-old John Vandeusen of Middleboro hit the wheelchair shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday.

The injured victim, Joshua Macro of Onset, was taken to Tobey Hospital in Wareham, where he died.

Police say Vandeusen face charges of motor vehicle homicide, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stay in marked lanes.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday at Wareham District Court.

It was not immediately clear if he has legal representation.

[Curt Leatherbee]

Wow, that's pretty close to where I live. Only 24 years old, what a shame. Gotta be so careful wheeling alongside roads, I've nearly been hit a few times in my SCI career.

[SCIfor55+yrs.]

I have had some close calls. Most have been in parking lots. They are very dangerous places. We had a guy in a wheelchair hit and killed when crossing the street at an intersection. The driver claimed he did not see the bright red power wheelchair with a yellow caution flag flying about 2 feet above the chair.

[SCI-Nurse]

SCIfor55, we always teach our clients that they should do just as pedestrians should do when crossing at intersections...catch the eye of the driver before crossing in front of a car, even at a light, even in a crosswalk. I do this myself. Pedestrians are hit all the time, esp. the elderly. Wheelchair users, as we know, are even more "invisible" than ABs to most people, esp. clueless drivers.

(KLD)