Aw man, I absolutely hate it when I hear about someone in a wheelchair falling out of their chair in the Wintertime and freezing to death because there was no one around to help them back up. Can you imagine how scary dying that way must be? And this happens more than you think. I’ve already known someone personally who died this way, and another paraplegic, Michael Lee Johnson, from Sebeka, Minnesota (a tiny town in the middle of no where) just died this way early Tuesday morning.
His personal care attendant found him on the ground at 8am in the morning on Tuesday. He was unresponsive, yet breathing shallow. According to North Germany Township Sheriff Michael Carr, Johnson had severe hypothermia and had a body core temperature of 70 upon being found (the temperature at 8am in Sebeka that morning was 5 degrees above zero). He later died at the hospital.
So how could this awful situation been avoided in the first place? He obviously fell out and couldn’t get back up. And another assumption, he probably had no cell on him or couldn’t reach his cell upon falling, because he didn’t call anyone to come to his rescue. It’s a pretty dismal story. He probably just laid there screaming for help until he passed out from the cold. I know life happens, accidents happen, and sometimes no matter how careful you are things like this can still happen, but maybe this could have been avoided.
Maybe people in wheelchairs (in cold climates) should make sure their cell phone is somehow attached to their person at all times so if they ever fall out, they can call for help? Or is this an impractical solution? Any other preventative measures you can think of?
- Preventing
Falls
- Technology
Safety: Protecting Your Stuff and Yourself
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