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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

At the woman in the electric wheelchair who almost ran over my little dd

52 replies

christie1 · 12/10/2007 01:06

In the grocery store we were walking and the woman a few feet in front of us in one of those huge electric wheelchairs, stops and begins to back up right at my dd (not on purpose of course). I scream and grab my dd out of the way. I stayed calm (really I did) and told her that she needed to be careful when she backed her chair up (I was not sarcastic honestly). She said "Well, I had the beeper on!". I heard nothing but I was yelling at her to stop and focused on moving my dd from the path of this huge chair. I just repearted that she really had to be careful when backing up her chair. I am still freaked out at how badly my dd could have been hurt if it had rolled on her.

Ok, here comes the rant but I am back in North america and I didn't see this as a UK trend when I was living there last year but over here, all these fat, fat north americas are driving these motorized carts and becomming a menace. I know, I know, some need them but honestly, it is problem of weight for many who are too big to walk now. It is sad. This lady I saw walking to her car later (the grocery store provides these carts free for people to drive around and get their groceries) and she was huge, but walking.

It's all so sad what we are doing to our health by our eating habits and these electric chairs for people who don't really need them are a menace.

OP posts:

Lazarou · 12/10/2007 13:28

An old man drove his motorised scooter into my sons pushchair in debenhams. He went into the side of the pushchair so luckily the frame managed to take the brunt. IT wasn't very funny at the time but now I remember the look on the faces of the family of the old man, oh, how I laugh......

HonoriaGlossop · 12/10/2007 13:39

themoon, I have to say you've hit on a good point there; I think alcohol should be looked at as an issue in terms of these things; they ARE heavy and driven at quite a speed and it's interesting to read how many people have come up against them as a problem!

My grandad had one of these and I blushingly admit he had one eye (honestly!) and used it solely to get to and from the pub

He never hurt anyone with his, perhaps surprisingly, though he did cause a passer by to have a hernia when grandad took a tumble trying to get the thing up a kerb; grandad was fine but the passer by picked the car thing up for him and gave himself a hernia in the process He went off to casualty, no doubt grandad went off to the pub regardless

MrsTittleMouse · 12/10/2007 14:38

I remember a news article about these a while ago, and how dangerous they are. They have a button that limits the scooter to walking speed, and it's obviously supposed to be used in shopping centres and around pedestrians, but apparently no-one ever uses it, because it's more fun to speed along scattering people as you go.

Lazarou · 12/10/2007 14:39

LOL @ 'it's more fun to speed along scattering people as you go'

bookwormmum · 12/10/2007 14:52

My Dad has one of these scooters but he bought it from a mobility accessories shop so it's the right size for him. A lot of people seem to buy portable ones from catalogues and then drive along with their legs hanging out the front or hunched over. I think anyone who wants to use one should have to provide medical proof then sit a test on how to handle it. After all, children are recommended to take the Cycling Profiency Test and everyone else has to pass a test before being let loose on the road in cars etc.

Vikkin · 12/10/2007 14:59

Agree, we've noticed, especially in Florida visits, so many people using these carts when the only problem seems to be their weight. You should see some of 'em move in the fast food queues. However, at the theme parks, a little disability will get you right to the front of the line...
PMSL on our last visit when ds(12) was out in front of me, limping and lolloping his way along as he does. Huge person got off their cart and said "ma'am, I'm so sad, I have only a half hour left of the hire of this, please take it for your son, poor boy."
Says I "If you care to look behind me, the poor boy's wheelchair is being pushed by his auntie. The poor boy will not get into the wheelchair. The poor boy chooses to walk".
The looks I got!
The poor boy won't even take the free electric wheelchair just offered to him by a local charity. Other dcs were furious about this - they love wheelchairs for playing in.

ScottishMummy · 12/10/2007 15:14

previously these used to only be avavilable after referral and assessment by physio/ot that assessment included your ht/wt/functional abilities, ability to safely drive and maneouvre the scooter. this was observed in practice sesions to obtain profificency

in real terms the cost, and easy availability of these itesm eg newspapers,internet means they are moe readily available...hence many more scary folks zipping about in them - i sa one going down the road on main st the other day

Lazarou · 12/10/2007 15:16

I've seen a man on one causing mayhem by going the wrong way round a busy roundabout!

Pruners · 12/10/2007 15:18

Message withdrawn

bookwormmum · 12/10/2007 15:26

I ran my own foot over once moving my Dad's scooter. For some reason, I refused to get on it to shift it and left my foot in front of it in the process of walking beside it. Silly things I have done [roll eyes icon]

Lovecat · 12/10/2007 15:35

Pruners

Bookwormmum - that's on par with Brian Harvey running over himself, that is!

wheresmysuntan · 12/10/2007 17:55

So what would be the position if there was a serious accident involving one of these things - what would be the insurance position? Who would be liable on the hired-out mobility chairs?

chloesmumtoo · 12/10/2007 18:01

I had to grab my dd and pin her to the wall the other day to keep her out of the way from a woman on one of these. The annoying thing was it was a very narrow pavement and she was going fast enough that I had to suddenly grab dd. What wound me up was that we stood there as close to the wall as quickly as we could. I smiled at her being polite as I do(even though she was going to fast for my liking). Not even a smile or a thankyou so I felt livid and had a good old moan to dp about it.

justaboutmurdering · 12/10/2007 18:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bookwormmum · 12/10/2007 18:35

WMST - my Dad's scooter is insured by him but a hired one would be covered by the ShopMobility scheme it came from.

Provided the person stopped to tell you where it came from, that is!

mammyjo · 12/10/2007 18:36

justaboutmurdering!

I do agree with the original poster though. These things can be a menace. I live near a seaside town which, for a lot of people, is their retirement home. These things are everywhere and they ride along the pavement side by side. Many a time I have been forced to push my buggy into the bloody road because they simply drive straight for you with no intention of moving. Sounds funny now I am saying it to myself but in reality its a pita.

purpleduck · 12/10/2007 18:38

I was run over by a scooter driving woman - I was buying veg at the market, and the cute veg guy shouted at her for me. I felt all warm and protected after that

As for the GINORMOUS vehicles that people drive in N.America, in some places it is neccesary as the roads in the winter sometimes makes it hard for smaller cars.....I don't think thats the case in Florida though!!

PeachyFleshCrawlingWithBugs · 12/10/2007 18:38

Actually there was a family on jeremy Kyle (yeah yeah I know- look I was sick for ages and stuck on the sofa and bored rigid OK?) where the two 'prosectors' (for want of a batter term) were disabled and one of their grievances was that when they lent their drunk Aunt their motor scooter to get home more easily she crashed it and hurt her arms- this had happened on a few occasions IIRC.

FFS! Don't let drun people in wheeled andmtorised vehicles! You can be arrested for being drunk on a bike sos urely a mobility scooter? (back home the carnival clubs used to favour bikes after the circuit as they could get ratarsed and then get home, until the police started makinga rrests- maybe drunk and disorderly?)

edam · 12/10/2007 18:42

There's an old lady near me who specialises in driving hers the wrong way down a one way street. Quite alarming.

BigGitDad · 12/10/2007 20:14

They are not that stable either I have seen a couple of people in those electric buggies fall over where they have not mounted the kerb properly and my MIL friend died after toppling over in one and breaking her hip. (She died during the operation to mend the hip)
Very dangerous in the wrong hands.

pyjamagirlgotbitbyvampires · 12/10/2007 20:22

This happened to my son in a supermarkey a few years ago when he was about 3 .
She ran him over and he cried a bit but was fine but I really lost it with this old lady as the shop assistants were shouting at her I was screaming and trying to grab him (he was stood next to me but I had a new baby in a sling and was holding heavy bags it all just happened so fast)
Anyway the thing that got me really mad was that when the old lady started crying everyone forgot about my poor ds! and were telling her there was no harm done.

ProfYaffle · 12/10/2007 20:45

Oh these things are alarming. I had to hoik dd1 out of the way a couple of years ago in Somerfield when one desimated the basket queue and flower display. I've had a few heartstopping moments watching them slooooowly negotiate traffic moving at speed as well.

ScottishMummy · 12/10/2007 20:51

unregulated purchasing of scooters, readily available,no assessment of ability to use safely. eeeeekkk they are a nightmare

Original poster

christie1 · 13/10/2007 21:13

I agree with all these postings. We all need to live together, but as someone said, I don't back up my car without looking nor would I back up a truck even if a beeper was on. I am afraid like everything, someone will get really hurt, likely a child because they are small, then government will act and stores will stop lending them out etc. I am glad I told that woman to be careful because maybe next time she will look before she backs up.

OP posts:

pollywollydooooooooodle · 14/10/2007 21:27

i find it quite difficult that people who drive disability scooters all seem to be being tarred with the same brush and labelled variously old, incompetent and careless.

I'm 45, have MS and use a disability scooter as i can't walk more than a hundred yards on a good day. It has been a godsend to me....without it i wouldn't have been able to do normal things like go to the shops or the library or the park with dd. i was shown how to use mine when i bought it and think i am a careful driver.

Just like there are crap car drivers/trolley steerers/bike riders there are some crap scooter drivers.

If i am driving badly i expect to be told! (and if i injured someone i would expect the police to be involved just as if i'd done it driving a car)

There are some IMO ridiculous things that are legal on a scooter at the moment like driving on dual carriageways if you have an 8mph machine and put a flashing light on it. It is also true that you don't have to have medical screening (tho you get the vat knocked off if your gp says you are disabled) or insurance (though this is available.

I wonder if there should be more of a focus on these issues rather than knocking all scooter drivers

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