The Traveling Wheelchair

349 Old Colony Road
Norton, MA 02766
Phone: 800-408-8550
http://www.qualityvansales.com/

Friday, Tony, Kevin and I were ready to travel to Healthrax Gym for my appointment, when Tony noticed that my van seatbelt was broken. My lap belt was once again missing the cover on the strap. Tony cancelled my gym appointment and we traveled to Quality Van Sales, located in Norton for we wanted to get my seatbelt replaced ASAP.

We consider W/C Passenger Safety to be PRIORITY, especially after I was seriously injured in an auto accident in May of 2008; when my both my wheelchair and van seatbelt let go and I went flying out of my chair.

There are plenty of parking spaces in the large parking lot. The entry door has s sloped access. The lobby where you wait while your repairs are done is small but there is plenty of room for me in my chair. All the employees are kind and friendly.

The restroom is a large single unisex restroom. It is spacious with plenty of room for my chair and fully ADA compliant.

Glen, a very kind technician replaced my broken seatbelt with a new one right away. I was very grateful, espceically after what happened when we were in an accident in May.

We’ve learned a great deal about Transportation Safety for wheelchair-seated travelers from Dr. Lawrence  Schneider, Director, University of Michigan RERC WTS.  Dr. Schneider has stressed the importance of properly installed and maintained ‘Wheelchair Tiedown’ and proper placement of ‘Occupant Restraint’ system (WTORS). He has also stressed the importance of proper TRAINING on maintenance, inspection and placement of all equipment.

Since my accident, my friends and I have been to Quality Van Sales three times for repairs and have always found Quality Van Sales to be fully wheelchair accessible. We’ve also found both Steve and Glen, who is here in this picture, trained technicians to be very courteous and knowledgeable regarding Wheelchair Tiedowns and Occupant Restraints (WTOR). Friday was my 3rd visit.

The 1st time we visited Quality Van Sales was on June 9, 2008; immediately after we got our repaired van returned after our accident. The technician at this time replaced my vehicle seatbelt. The old seatbelt I was wearing during the accident was broken; it was missing the cover on the strap.

At this time, the knowledgeable technician gave us in-depth instructions and training on how to Properly Place and Secure my wheelchair in the van and how to Properly Place my Occupant Restraints, lap and shoulder strap on me when traveling; we realized that it used to be placed too loosely and fell on my arm rather than my shoulder as you can see in this picture. I suggest my readers read about the proper placement on  RIDE SAFE, a brochure which has ‘Step by Step’ guidelines of proper placement and inspection and maintenance of the Wheelchair Tiedown and Occupant Restraint System (WTORS) equipment.

The 2nd time we visited Quality Van Sales was on December 21 2008; we traveled to Quality Van Sales and asked that they evaluate my new Permobil Power Chair for proper placement in the van and seat belt positioning because every wheelchair is different. It was at this visit that we were taken by surprise. Steve, the very nice and knowledgeable technician discovered that one of my Tiedown retractor heads had a broken mount which allowed it to come free of the securement track. He replaced it. We had not noticed this was broken. Steve’s recommendations to us are below. We believe these recommendations will BENEFIT all van operators who transport wheelchair seated passengers.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

(1) Inspect  each retractor head before and after each use for proper operation.

(2) Each retractor head to be fully tensioned after head is secured to track & “S” Hook is attached to Wheelchair FRAME ONLY.

(3) Attain a whisk broom, keep in vehicle at all times and clean tracks before securing retractor heads BEFORE EACH USE.

(4) Obtain a storage bag for retractor heads; keep it in the vehicle at all times and STORE RETRACTOR HEADS AT ALL TIMES WHEN NOT IN USE.

Steve told us that “This is of major importance as leaving heads in the tracks can lead to other operators “assuming” that they are properly secured (primary danger) and also, leaving in the retractor heads on the floor can cause the straps to deteriorate due to continuing exposure to water, salt, sand & chemical runoff from the shoes of passengers. Unsecured retractor heads also represent a danger in the event of a collision; they become missiles quite capable of causing injury to vehicle occupants.”

Steve also told my friends and me that there are Training Seminars available through the
Massachusetts Safety Council for van transportation operators. They even have a course to train residential house managers to become certified instructors in the course. For more information about the training classes you can click on http://www.martap.org/about_us.html.

There is no cost to have your Wheelchair Tiedown and Occupant Restraints inspected at Quality Van Sales. There is only a charge if it needs to be repaired or replaced; which is well worth the cost. KENNY & CO BELIEVE SAFETY IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE!

Kenny & co  give Quality Van Sales Service and Parts Department  FIVE STARS for wheelchair accessibility and FIVE PLUS STARS to all the expert technicians who have spent so much time educating us on safety of proper placement of my wheelchair in my van; proper maintainence of my Wheelchair Tiedown;  and proper placement of my Occupant Restraints. I would highly recommend Quality Van Sales to all wheelchair-seated travelers and all operators of vehicles who transport wheelchair seated passengers. Thank you Steve :>)