back to article Wheelchair user hitches lift on front of lorry

A wheelchair user in Michigan admitted to enjoying "quite a ride" after being accidentally attached to the front grille of a lorry and taken on a 50mph white-knuckle jaunt down the state's Red Arrow Highway, the BBC reports. The unnamed 21-year-old was passing in front of the truck as it left a petrol station in Paw Paw when …

COMMENTS

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Needs a keener eye than mine..

    .. to spot the IT angle from the picture. Perhaps something to do with the Information Super Highway?

  2. Glenn Gilbert

    Only spilled his soda!

    Blimey, this would be a case for a severe bout of ring flutter.

    > bemoaning the fact he'd spilled his soda

    I trust this is a euphemism for something else!

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bet it was Wheely fast and scary!!

    Hee hee!

  4. Stewart Rice

    IT Angle

    There doesn't need to be an IT angle... It's a humourous news article and therefore fits nicely in the Odds & Sods section where it has been placed.

    Although I'm not surprised the driver couldn't see the guy or hear his inevitable 'Wheeeeeee!' since those trucks are rather large and loud (IE American).

  5. Harry

    A very bad pass

    "he passed in front of a lorry leaving a petrol station"

    Elementary common sense says that wheelchair users, cyclists and other relatively-invisible vehicles should always cross BEHIND emerging lorries and cars, never in front of them.

    He was very lucky to be wedged in front, rather than wedged under, which would be more usual.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Maybe it's just me but ...

    - You don't like big lorries Andy.

    - Want that one!

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How?

    How on earth did the lorry driver not spot the wheelchair crossing the petrol station in the first place?

    I wonder if he regularly discovers bikes, children, elderly people, etc attached to his grill.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Here's a (kinda) technology angle...

    I notice from the picture that the wheelchair seems to be electric. You have to hope it doesn't do anything like try and charge it's battery from downhill movement - it could have burnt out.

    Perhaps the lorries should have those beeping range detectors fitted to the front and back? Make it easier to park anyway and would warn you of crossing guards/oldies and wheelchair users stuck in the gratings.

  9. Master Baker

    Weapon against the Daleks

    Shows what you could do to Davros

  10. Arnold Lieberman

    Don't like it...

    is it only me that think this guy looks like Andy from Little Britain?

  11. h00nta

    Maybe next time...

    he'll get his Darwin Award..

  12. Dogbyte

    Is it just me?

    Anyone else reminded of those dustbin lorries with a teddy bear tied to the front? I'll get me coat...

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Seems like a Stunt to me

    Sorry this just seems like stunt. Living in MI we've been seeing these pic's since it happened. My question is if this is legit how did the Semi get *behind* the wheelchair? He had to be very close to the vehicle for the driver not to see him and if he was traveling across a parking lot the side of the wheelchair would have gotten hit by the truck not the back.

  14. Steve

    IT Angle Blowhards

    Honestly, who the f**k are these people that click on a headline about a wheelchair user being dragged by a lorry, or Paris Hilton getting sent down, and then experience such utter suprise when there isn't an IT angle ?

    Jeez guys, if you require an IT angle to make your news worthwhile you should a) get a life, and b) only click on things that say stuff like "Zoomy 6000 Hypertech wows crowd at geekfest", or simmilar.

    Or have I missed some <irony> tags again ?

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Re: A very bad pass

    Harry, to cross a road in a wheelchair - especially one like the one pictured with small wheels and a motor - you need to choose your route based primarily on what your chair can handle, looking out for kerbs, potholes, oil spillage, etc. After that, being in front of or behind a parked lorry with its engine turned off becomes a bit secondary.

    Trust me on this. Lorries and vans parked across dropped kerbs are the bane of my bloody life. And electric wheelchairs could do with a big dose of engineering too.

    That said, it's a one-in-a-million chance to get wedged like that. I'd accuse it of being a publicity stunt if I could work out what the hell it was advertising.

  16. the Jim bloke

    He should thank the Lorry driver

    ..for spilling his soda. Or has the American media suppressed all information about sodium benzoate? and all the rest of the dietary/health issues ?

    Its like complaining about not being allowed to smoke around jet fuel and liquid oxygen.

  17. Phil

    Media Stunt or extreem Fluke(S)

    Base on 20 years of Driving and Working on Motorways I've seen the effects of an Artic on a mini and Have several problems with the story.

    1: He was crossing Sideways to the truck yet he wound up facing away from it when it hit.

    2: His handlebars lodged in the grill securely, but didn't penetrate the radiator.

    3: The truck driver didn't see him crossing when he was preparing to leave petrol station ( Was truck driver observing his surroundings ? )

    4: I'm not sure whether the problems the guy has affects his muscles,but his arms ( biceps and Triceps ) don't look atrophied. From the picture I saw he could have reached up and his fingers or at least some of them would be visible to the driver ( May take a while to notice but would be seen ).

    5: The guy is wearing his seatbelt, I know an dozens of people in wheelchairs and only the paraplegic wears his belt to stop him sliding down, the rest down generally bother.

    6: He's also lucky truck driver slowed down gradually and didn't emergency brake when Police tried to stop him

    7: This Guy will already have made thousands from selling his story.

    Initially I thought Wow lucky guy, but now I think it was a media stunt for the money. whetehr it was done with the drivers consent or while he was paying for his gas I feel the chair was attached to the front of the truck. We have car surfers here so insanity for excitment is quite common.

    The wheelchair wheels arn't designed for those speeds so the guy is lucky the bearings didn't heat their oil up then collapse.

    theres several flukes to need to happen for this to be real and If it is then the driver is guilty of negligence regarding pedestrians, Otherwise If it's a stunt and he knew about it then dangerous driving.

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