Good Samaritans come to woman’s aid after wheelchair accident
By: Catherine Hubbard
Nelson Mail: 05//06/2024
Lynne Thurlow was helped after an incident on her electric wheelchair. Thurlow wants to thank the two men who came to her aid for their “extraordinary kindness”.
MARTIN DE RUYTER / NELSON MAIL
Nelsonian Lynne Thurlow was on her way back home from a trip to the library when she had an accident on her electric wheelchair, just metres away from to her resthome residence.
The 74-year-old was knocked uncoscious when her wheelchair toppled onto the road and her head hit the pavement.
But Thurlow was lucky that two men saw the May 24 accident, and stopped what they were doing to come to her rescue.
The pair, who Thurlow thinks were in their sixties, pushed her and her heavy electric wheelchair upright, and called for an ambulance.
Thurlow was taken to hospital and discharged, but has on going problems with headaches and blurred vision. She currently can’t use her wheelchair as it leaves her feeling nauseous.
But she would love to thank the two unknown good Samaritans who came to her aid.
“I’m so grateful for them helping, for making sure I was safe,” she told Stuff.
Green Gables volunteer chaplain David Allpress said Lynne had told him that she knew that the men would have been busy.
“But as soon as they saw her, they weren’t too busy to stop and provide love and assistance,” he said.
Poor access for disabled people at new car park building
Lynne Birnie uses a wheelchair and says there is no exit button for disabled people to push and the doors are really heavy at the new Tū Waka-Waipapa car park.
Thurlow’s daughter, Dr Claire Thurlow, said it was “beautiful” people in the community didn’t hesitate to come to her aid.
However, the accident highlighted the challenges that people with disabilities had in getting around.
“So many footpaths are not well designed for wheelchairs,” Claire said.
“They’re often not wide enough, and that’s something KMum struggles with if bins are out.”
Her mother liked to visit the Queen’s Gardens, but getting across the bridge over the pond was a “juddery, horrible experience”, Claire said.
Given that New Zealand’s population was rapidly ageing, the problems those with disabilities had in navigating our streets was a timely issue, she said, ranging from car parking to getting in and out of vehicles, to accessing buildings.
Census 2023 data shows that West Coast and Tasman regions had the oldest median age in the country, at 48.1 years and 46.8 years respectively.
Disabled people make up a significant portion of New Zealanders, with 1.1 million people, or 24% of the population, identifying as disabled, according to the Ministry of Health.
- Nelson Mail
Last Updated 10/06/2024
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