In all seriousness, that is a horrible way to go.
Posted on 07/06/2016 12:40:58 PM PDT by rey
SACRAMENTO — A disability rights advocate drowned in a bizarre accident when she fell into the Sacramento River in her wheelchair after watching Fourth of July fireworks.
Laurie Hoirup's husband, Jacob Hoirup, tells the Sacramento Bee (http://bit.ly/29mKqJs) the accident happened after she and several other people were getting off a pontoon at the Sacramento Marina Monday night after watching fireworks on the boat.
He says the 60-year-old woman was on a ramp between the boat and dock when the boat shifted and caused the ramp to fall into the water, bringing her, her husband and some others down with it.
Jacob Hoirup says he tried to save her but the wheelchair was too heavy and he ran out of oxygen.
Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Hoirup as chief deputy director of the State Council on Developmental Disabilities. She also published several books about living with disabilities.
May she rest in peace. Drowning’s a horrible way to die.
Sue the wheelchair maker for not making it float-safe. The company was discriminatory against those who cannot move their legs (for walking OR swimming).
“Jacob Hoirup says he tried to save her but the wheelchair was too heavy and he ran out of oxygen. “
Maybe he should have rescued her first, and just left the wheelchair in the water. You can always get a new wheelchair.
Probably a Democrat.
This is a tragic story, but if they were on a boat, why wasn’t she wearing a PFD?
She looks pretty handicapped in this youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWMvZijlqTE
She may have been strapped in. I think she was heavier than in the video too.
Was she strapped into the chair? Is that common? (Honest questions, I don’t have a clue on that)
In all seriousness, that is a horrible way to go.
Depends on the degree of debilitation. I work with a fellow who has a chest strap on his chair to stabilize his upper body.
Feeling all appropriate sympathies for her misfortune, but can the lawsuit for the water not being ADA compliant be far behind?
Rescue the woman, not the wheelchair? Probably one of those oversized, motorized ones.
A lot of folks that have those full powered chairs, as she has in the video, are strapped in. Article doesn’t say.
I thought it was all a bit ironic.
I’ll bet she was strapped into the wheel chair and he couldn’t get her out of it.
Did you read the excerpt? She was exiting the boat at the dock. Most people doff their PFDs before leaving the boat.
I assumed that. I was just using dry sarcasm to reflect the lack of communication by the author of that sentence.
Well, if I was tied to an anchor I wouldn't want to go anywhere near the water.
Not sure what you linked to - I gave up after a minute when it didn’t seem related to this story.
Even with a PDF she probably would have drown. The PDF would never have supported the woman and the chair, assuming she was strapped in. Also, I have never seen anyone wearing a PDF getting on and off a pontoon or larger boat. Point taken though, she was at risk and something was likely better than nothing.
Maybe he should have rescued her first, and just left the wheelchair in the water. You can always get a new wheelchair.
That was my first thought. I don’t know what he was thinking except how much insurance money is he getting? That might explain a lot. He has to think it is a pain in the neck to have to care for her. I wonder if there wasn’t any “help” getting her killed.
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