Wheelchair man hitches a ride - at 80km/h
A man whose wheelchair became lodged in the grille of a semitrailer was accidentally pushed down a U.S. highway in a wild 80km/h ride, for more than 6km.
The 21-year-old man, from Kalamazoo in the northeast state of Michigan, was unharmed and had been secured to his motorised wheelchair by a seat belt.
When finally released from the grille, he reportedly told police it was "quite a ride".
An investigation revealed the man in the wheelchair had pulled in front of the truck at a service station and it somehow became lodged by its handles to the front grille.
"The man spilled his soda pop, but he wasn't upset," said Sergeant Kathy Morton of the Michigan State Police.
About 4 pm yesterday, a caller told police dispatchers: "You are not going to believe this. There is a semi truck pushing a guy in a wheelchair on Red Arrow Highway," state police said in a release.
Officers stopped the truck – wheelchair still attached – at a trucking company. The driver did not believe what he was told until he stepped from his cab and saw for himself.
Tony
