My Invacare Motorized Wheelchair is SO Horrible

To Mark Burley of Occupational Therapy
and all concerned.

Concerning my present Invacare wheelchair and the Quote for the new Bounder wheelchair
October 14 2011
From Daniel J Towsey
(My writing structure may seem poor. Please note I am french and english, speaking, reading and writing is self taught)

Hello Mark
I just received your email today (inserted below).

This is going to be a very detailed lenghty letter.

You have clearly shown me that you have not been willing to return my telephone messages nor see me when I was at your place of work (Vocational rehab which is government run).

Your email also clearly states that you will have no time to speak with me or see me anytime in the near future concerning the serious problems with my current wheelchair. You do not want to talk to me about the quote I sent to you about the custom hand made bounder wheelchair that I need.

Please be advised that this letter will be published on my wheelchair rights websites and I will also be presenting it to my lawyer as well as members of the government and any other people who care about my human rights as stated in the treaty for people with disabilities of the United Nations that the federal minister of health has just ratified and signed into law.

I may also have to present my case to the United Nations.. I will never stop until I receive the wheelchair I need.

Now you made statements about the Bounder wheelchair which I sent you the retail price quote from the manufacturer for.

You yourself have clearly stated to me that you had never before heard of the Bounder wheelchair manufacturer. Also your email reenforces the fact that you have never seen nor assessed such a chair.

Any statements you make about it do not come from your having any knowledge about the Bounder custom made wheelchair or its custom devices that will aid in my ability to live a free and independent life with the equal rights to function in our society that is guaranteed by the U.N Treaty.

Your refusal to meet me about the quote for the custom chair that I need is very unfair. You are not discussing the quote with me and you do not know why I need all the items mentioned in the quote, which proves that you care not to help me in acquiring a wheelchair that will be safe and suitable for my life style and function safely with my multiple and complex injuries as a result of having a car hit me and then drive over my body several times.

As you and many doctors or anyone else who is somewhat familir with my serious permanent and still deteriorating injuries knows. It is truly a medical miracle from God that I am alive and also still able to function independently.

My lawyers and many doctors have told me many times that no one has ever survived the injuries I have. One doctor angrily told me that they now have to rewrite the medical books as my injuries and especially my 90% compressed and fractured T-8 spine vertabrae have never been survived by anyone before, that is not dead or paralized.

I am now writing a little bit about my medical condition for other readers who are not familiar with my fragile and perilous physical condition.

Then I will write a about my present unsuitable mass produced and used defectively engineered wheelchair you got for me.

I will also write a lenghty section about the Bounder custom wheelchair and why it needs to be hand built the way the quote states. Which will explain why it seems so expensive.

So back to my physical condition. Oh and a side note. Also you are very aware that all supporting medical care or attention has been deliberately denied me and sabotaged by corrupt government insiders.

That is a crime, as here in Nova Scotia we have a public health care system that is to provide what ever neccessary medical care a person needs no matter what the cost that inludes wheelchairs.

I appreciate that you are not a medical doctor, but you are a professional government trained and employed health professional who has full access to all my medical records, as well, you have access to any and all specialist medical doctors advice if you choose to get it pertaining to my physical condition.

So I assume you are aware I have difficulties with both my knees, both my hips, and are also aware that I lost my large intestine. Then you also know that my right upper arm is now just a plastic protesis inserted under the skin that is not connected to my shoulder blade bone as my shoulder was too damaged for the prostesis to be connected to it.

Then you must also be aware that I have more then nine permanently broken ribs. Oh and you would also know that I have serious damage to my left shoulder. I also have injuries to my spine at my neck which has not been openly documented or acknowledged. Just to mention a few of my blunt trauma injuries. I now have over four thousand pages of medical records since Nov 22 2009. I have under gone two surgeries,blood tests, multiple exrays, cat scans and MRIs. And did physiotherapy for over a year twice a week.

So now as time has gone on since the day of my accident. I have lost most of my torso muscles which means that the muscles between my ribs are dead too.Which is why I speak very loud as my rib cage does not expand and retract when I breath. I have to breath very agreesively whether I speak or not. I have to speak very loud to get my lungs to open and close for speech. and then also most of the muscles in my right arm are now unusable.

I can control (drive) a wheelchair with my right hand because you know that I still have light strength remaining to my right hand, and that I can lift my arm at the elbow.

Again I am elaborating only a bit as to the complexities of my physical injuries from the automobile driving over me.

You also are aware that I had previously suffered a very serious injury to my left hand fingers many years ago as a result of my fingers being cut by a tablesaw injury.

They used advanced microsurgery to reattach and partially repair the injuries to my four fingers. But it left me with limited use of my fingers and strength to my left hand. Which means that my whole left arm also had limited strength because I could never phyically do things that would of permitted me to have full use of my left hand. That would of made it possible for me to have full strength to my left arm. I am able to hold heavier things with the palm of my hand but not with my finger tips. I have limited dexterity.

So these injuries and many others are why I can not walk any distance nor travel in any public transit like everyone else does. These mentioned injuries are only some of the reasons why I need a motorized wheelchair to get around.

Another reason is that when I put my weight down on my feet, my whole torso bounces and so do my organs. The loss of my large intestine has left my belly area empty and then my other organs have nothing to keep them in their place. They keep dropping down into the empty cavity of my belly. So I need to walk on a cushioned floor with cushioned boots to minimize the downward impact movements of my torso. Also the fractured T8 vertabrae means that my spine bounces up and down where my back is broken.

You may also know that I have damage to my hips, more so to my left hip as a result of the car being driven over me.

I tried to walk around outside with a walker in the early months before my muscles began to die. Now I have almost no strength left to hold a walker. I only use the walker to keep my body straight and for protection from other pedestrians.I can not put my weight down with my hands on a walker. I also have a walker with a seat so I can stop and rest every few minutes. I now almost never walk outside. I can walk short distances without a walker on level surfaces. But I soon have to sit down as the pains I have are unbearable. Falling down would be a very dangerous thing for me. I would also not be able to use my arms to stop my impact with the ground. Falling down could kill me or leave me paralized. So that is why I will never be able to walk freely out side of my apartment.

As you know. I did physiotherapy twice a week for almost a year and a half. But it did not help to keep my body from deteriorating. It only helped me to understand and discover my mobility difficulties.

Later in this letter I will explain more of my physical injuries as I go through the details of my present wheelchair and then as to why I need the hand made custom wheelchair as indicated in the quote.

Like I said at the begining. This is going to be a very long and very detailed letter.
Really though I am writing a report...

Almost a year ago you gave me a used wheelchair made by Invacare Model TDX SR with four casters and two center drive wheels with brushless motors. It also came with an elevating seat. This chair had formally been used by a child.

So here goes.

I is so unfortunate that I have to use so much of my time to write this out. I should not have to write this and to relive the past two years and the horrible experiences I have gone through filled with pain and misery and the having to use a defective and dangerous wheelchair.

The wheelchair I received is only suitable for smaller and lighter weight people and for indoor use. It is definately not usable in winter.

I will give you an example of using a mid wheel drive wheelchair in winter. If you go straight down a sidewalk and one of the two drive wheels looses its traction on a patch of snow or ice. That tire will immediately spin to full speed while slipping and the other wheel keeping its traction will cause the chair to turn around at full speed and put me into a snowbank or out over the curb and onto the street into on coming traffic. Also it will most likely flip over. Then the weight of the chair at over 500 pounds will crush me because I am wearing the seat belt of the wheelchair. Last winter I had three scary and painful experiences with this.

Another side note for readers. I was refered to you, Mark Burley at occupational therapy by a medical doctor. For it was realized that I needed to be able to have some quality of life. It was made aware to you Mark, that the only thing I can still do physically that adds quality to my life, is my photography and videography. Which is viewed by millions on many websites such as http://danieltowsey.photoshop.com www.webshots.com/user/towsey and http://www.youtube.com/folkphotographer

So now back to my used wheelchair.

When I received the wheelchair, I was still undergoing serious traumatic physical and phycological changes to my mind and body.

Getting that wheelchair became a horrific experience that you could of made much better if you had been willing to work with me to try and help me adjust to the wheelchair and also to have the chair adjusted and customized where possible for my physical condition. You did not about of this because you rarely spoke with me.

I continuously told you about the suspension problems and the painful ride my chair was giving me.

I have been waiting almost a year for my right arm pad to be fixed. I had to get a handyman to bolt it in by drilling a hole through it. That armrest is the one Lawtons put on my chair that has fallen off several times and is still loose. The armrest is also to short to fit my arm. The armm rest is soft and bends from the weight of my elbow. It does not properly support my arm so that I can not sit straight in my chair.

It is going to take many pages to just touch on what I have gone through with that horrible defectively engineered dangerous wheelchair you got for me.

I really hate that you are making me have to write all this and relive the traumatic experiences I have gone through because of the wheelchair you got for me and because you areand the government are blocking my getting the wheelchair that I absolutely need.

But like always in dealing with the corporations known as governments. I have to go to extremes to get what I need to protect what is remaining of my health and life.

The very first and continuing difficulties I had with the chair is the government pretending to be a charity known as Easter Seals and Lawtons mechanics that were working on my chair so to bill Easter Seals.

Lawtons refused to suggest or do any adjustments to my chair so it would fit me unless Lawtons would be selling expensive parts. No over priced parts equals no work to adjust my chair. Then that maybe because it was soon discovered that the chair could never be adjusted to fit me properly because of its’ manufacturing and the actual size of the chair.

The seat belt did not fit, the foot pedals could not be adjusted to prevent them from hitting the ground causing injury and pain to me as well as expensive damage to the chair. Because the chair is not tall enough and can not be made tall enough. I need the seat to be higher so I can easily slide onto the seat. The Bounder custom made chair solves these problems too.

Also my present chair is two inches too narrow for my torso. My winged backrest is to tight against my broken ribs especially when I have to wear a thick coat. As well my plastic backrest bends everytime a bus driver tries to get behind my chair to tiedown my chair. This is especially bad when my knapsack is full of groceries. My present back rest is also not tall enough.

Also the push handles to manually push my chair are to weak to push the weight of my chair. They bend forward when someone tries to push my chair. Causing serious pain to my spine and torso as the back rest is attached to the push handles.

Then there is the headrest that moves because it is attached to a bending thin plastic backrest The head rest is used when travelling in a bus.The head rest does not support my head without moving. My chair needs a steel backrest. The Bounder wheelchair will take care of those problems too.

As well about the suspenssion, the structural design of my used chair is defective when the front castor wheels lift up when going forward down over curb cutouts which means the foot pedals would go closer to the ground and are always hitting the ground. This causes very serious pain to my broken back and ribs and seriously threatens the damaging of my spinal cord. The pedals hitting the ground always breaks my foot pedals support mechanisms.

So my chairs foot pedals mechanisms have been repaired repeatedly. (Those repairs were very expensive.) But would almost immediately be broken again. Which means that never since I received the chair has it been in safe condition.

As such my foot pedals now dangle down, this causes horrible pain to my knees and hips as my legs are no longer properly supported by the pedals. My chair is still like that.

This brings me to why I need the electronic elevating leg rests of the Bounder wheelchair. One I can lift the foot pedals up electronically to keep the pedals from hitting the ground and second that the cartlage damage to my hips and knees means that I have to keep changing the position of my legs to shift the pain around to I can manage the pain to my knees and hips. It has to be electronic because I do not have the strength in either my right or left hands to reach down to the mechanical levers to operate non electronic pedal elevation.

I also need the electronic elevating foot pedals so that I can lower my foot pedals down out of the way so I can fit into the tight space on public transit buses.

Another serious problem with the way the suspension works is that when I have to go down a steep driveway ramp that goes vertically from the road through the sidewalk. The front casters loose contact with the ground and the castors turn sideways causing the chair to be very dangerous and very difficult to steer in a straight line while going down the slope vertical to the direction of the sidewalk. This is where a driveway entrance is higher then the road. Where they had to lower the sidewalk so the sidewalk has a bump (slope) going from the edge of the road to the other edge of the sidewalk. This is extremely bad where the road and sidewalk is already sloped because it is on a hill.

There are too many problems with this chair.

Now about how the government readily gives money away to the wheelchair mechanics without asking the owner of the chair if it was fixed properly before the government pays the mechanic. So this leads to the mechanics having no care to do a proper, safe or neccessary repair job. They also do not guarantee their repairs. The mechanics will also do sabotaging and unneccesary repairs because they can bill anything to the government they want. The mechanics only have to convince the wheelchair owner that they need the repairs. The mechanics do not care if the repair was incomplete or even the wrong repair. Because they will just do more repairs and that is very good for profits.

I was an A 1 ace auto mechanic. I formerly owned two auto repair shops known as Towsey’s Welding and Auto Repairs. I was a custom installer and mechanic at Speedy and Midas for several years. I was trained in automechanics at Danforth and Central Technical High Schools in Toronto.

Also I owned a second hand store called 'Silverspoon Trading’ where I rebuilt small gas powered equipment such as lawnmowers and I also repaired house appliances such as washers, dryers, fridges and stoves.

Hey I also did custom wood work and complete house renovations.

So you see I am a very experienced and highly skilled person.

I like all other professional auto mechanics. I always guaranteed my work and would never bill a customer to pay for my mistakes if I made any. Unlike Lawtons I had integrity and that was also legislated by government. There are thousands of laws on the books to protect consumers, owners of cars against the things I have writen about. So why is it that we do not have the same standards for wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Especially considering that wheelchairs are an absolute neccesity of life. Afterall wheelchairs are motorized vehicles that ARE used on roads.

Wheelchair users have no other options. They can not walk or carry anything. So is it not to be expected that the rules and laws be even more strict and powerful to protect the disabled? The truth is there is no laws to protect wheelchair users against anything anyone does that is wrong.

So believe me, it did not take long for me to understand how a wheelchair is constructed, made and what it is supposed to safely do.

Also there are no legislated wheelchair safety standards for safety in construction of motorized wheelchairs.

Just for an example of how far the wheelchair mechanic would go to make money. They knew Easter Seals would always pay for repairs that the mechanic said was needed. Easter Seals is funded by the government of Nova Scotia, So it is really a government operation camoflaged as a charity.

Since the UN treaty. All governments in Canada now should be openly and directly paying for the medically neccessary hand built wheelchair I need. This also applies to everyone else that is disabled.

It is time for the Nova Scotia government to live up to the UN Treaty... But they are not willing to do it. it will only happen when they start to listen to me and all others who are disabled. but we all know governments never listen, and that is why they think they know best.

About the mechanic; But again the government not caring to protect the tax payers. It has never realized that motorized wheelchairs come with very good and lenghty manufacturers warranties that cover most of the chairs expensive parts. This used chair was only two years old and still has many five year warrantied parts.

The Bounder wheelchair has parts that are warrantied as long as ten years. The chair is known to last up to fifteen years with minimal maintenance costs. Just the usual, tires and batteries.

So what was happening is the mechanic would deem that the chair needed repairs and then would be free to get the free replacement parts from the manufacturers and then charge Easter Seals for the repairs. So they would surely be double billing. This has to be happening as the government never checks with the chairs owners as to what is happening.

For many months I had very dangerous difficulties with my wheelchair as its electric brakes were not stopping or holding the chair on a slope.

Everyday for months after I received my wheelchair I had to talk to Lawtons about the endless serious problems with my chair.

So Lawtons told me my chair needed two new motors. Which are very expensive and are covered under the manufacturers warranty. You see the center of my wheels (The part that looks like the hubcap) is the motors and the brakes. Lawtons never told anyone the motors were covered under manufactures warranty. Actually Lawtons even told me that the motors were no long manufactured. They lied to me to cause me more grief because they wanted to sell me a new mass produced second rate wheelchair. Knowing that those chairs always needed costly maintenance and repairs. So Lawtons would make even more profits at the tax payers expense.

Oh and one other problem with the way Easter Seals works is that;
They do not pay for priority delivery of parts nor do Lawtons or Easter Seals process the neccessary paper work for the jobs to be done in a quick and proper manor.

So they will leave the wheelchair user with a very dangerous wheelchair or no wheelchair at all if the chair has a problem that prevents its use. Such as a flat tire. They have kept me waiting for up to six months for repairs to be done to my chair. Some still have not been done a year later.

The government does not pay for nor does anyone provide any emergency on road response for someone who finds themselves in a disabled wheelchair far from home.

That brings to thought the day I showed you Mark Burley that in the event that my chair breaks down or gets stuck in snow. Even if the two latches behind the chair are lifted (which is supposed to release the brakes and motors) the chair can not be pushed by anyone. The brakes will not release. That is another serious mechanical manufacturing defect with this chair.

Mark you know this because you yourself tried to move the 750 pound chair (with me sitting on it) and could not. Your pushing actually bent my plastic back rest and caused me severe pain to my broken ribs and back.

So now back to the brakes issue. On this same day when I came to your place of work to show you many serious problems with my chair.

You wondered why my brakes were not stopping my chair. At the time I was not aware that the braking system is adjustable through the wheelchairs’ controller. I discovered that all wheelchairs come with a mini computer and software that is accessable by pluging in a computer device (programer) just like with automobiles.

When you plugged it in and looked at the settings for my chair. You were surprised to see that my brakes had been turned down to only 15%. Meaning that someone had to actually go into the software to do that. Software settings just like in any computer never changes unless someone changes it. Even removing all power from a computer will not change the software settings.

So that means that the Lawtons mechanics had to of changed the settings as no one else had touched my chair and I did not have the device to plug in to check or alter my chairs settings.

Which is also why in the quote for the Bounder wheelchair you see a hand held programmer. So that I can program my chair myself. I am a qualified mechanic and can do this. Also no one in Nova Scotia has one of these programmers. I want my own so I will always be able to make sure that my chair is safely set up for me.

So (about altering brakes settings) this was a serious criminal act done that seriously endangered my life. Believe me I had many very serious brushes with death or injury when my chair had minimal brakes.

You Mark then went into the software and set the brakes to suit my weight. Then my chair worked well but the motors still got replaced because no one wanted it to be possible for me to prove that the original motors were not defective.

Over the first six months I had my chair. I had to go back to Lawtons several times every week because of all the horrible lack of proper service, the unneccessary repairs, the defective repairs and all the other things Lawtons just did not think was profitable enough to bother with fixing or adjusting.

Another problem with my present wheelchair is that the controller box is not waterproof and If I get it wet in the rain or even fog the wheelchair will stop moving for up to two days. Whereas the Bounder wheelchair is made to go out in any weather.

It would take me days to write all the horrible things I have gone through because of the unsuitable chair you Mark got for me.

Mark you may have had good intentions but you never trusted my judgement and only accepted the so called professional wheelchair mechanics and the sales representative from Invacare’s words over mine.

Not once did Easter Seals ever show me or tell what they were being billed for. I can only guess that Easter Seals was actually defrauded. Because there is no safeguards built into the system to prevent this.

So now comes another problem. The more repairs done and the more the costs go up, the slower Easter Seals gets at authorizing any repairs. Especially when they are very neccessary.

I would now like to advise the government to realize that a used and worn out wheelchair is just like buying a used and worn out car. Except that wheelchairs and their repairs cost twice as much as a cars. These used chairs can also pose a threat of injury to the users.

No wonder Lawtons told me one day after I had complained about the situation I found myself in and their lousy work. The Mechanic said “why would I ever expect good care from them, Afterall the wheelchair was never purchased from them.”

You see Lawtons plan of action was to make it seem like the old chair is to worn out and needs to many repairs.So then Lawtons would get to sell a very expensive generic assembly line mass produced chair that is not customizable for me and most other people with serious physical difficulties.

The wheelchair I have now is horrible and is and has always been in the need of repairs.This wheelchair is causing more injuries to my spine, my ribs and my organs. My upper body has lost all muscles due to athropy. So now I wear a wrap around brace over my belly area to keep it from bouncing violently and causing me very horrible continuos pain when I ride the chair. Also all my chest muscles are now dead and they bounce horribly also causing serious chronic pain which is one of the reasons why I need a back rest that reclines. Which the Bounder wheelchair does.
Also I need the independent suspension with its shocks and springs to absorb the shocks from the terrible sidewalks in Halifax. The Bounder wheelchair also has this solution.

My present wheelchair is only useful for indoor use. As it does not have any shock absorbing suspension so it violently shakes, jolts and bangs me around. This lack of shock absorbing suspension also adds to the contant having to replace the four very expensive stabilizing castors as the bearings get beat and destroyed withing six months if you always ride your chair out over the very hilly and horrible sidewalks and roads found in Halifax.

Now about the tires. First there are no winter tires available for my present chair. The tires on the wheelchair are the light gray ones made of very soft material that wears out very quickly. I asked the Invacare representative “Why is it that the tires only have a very thin sixteenth of an inch center tread thickness? Why do the tires not have a half inch thick center tread? Why do the tires wear bald in the center after three weeks of riding on sidewalks?

(NOTE: Most sidewalks in Halifax are very old (up to 100 years) and very abrasive to my tires. The sidewalks are rough and abrasive due to years of salting the sidewalks. Also note that center drive wheelchairs pivot on the center tires which also causes the tires to wear out quickly due to friction with the ground. Where as the Bounder wheelchair, rear wheel drive does not do this and the rear wheel drive chairs tires will last much longer. Another reason why I need the Bounder wheelchair.)

Also the Bounder wheelcahir comes with real durable black tires made for all terrain vehicles, so the tires will last a very long time.

He did not care to answer. So I said that it is because they like to sell alot of tires. Putting on tires on a my wheelchair is very expensive labour because they have to remove the motors and they have to (Tow) transport the chair to and from the users home.

Next time you see a wheelchair with center drive big tires. Look at the tires. They are always bald. This makes these chairs very dangerous on grassy, wet or shinny surfaces. Also this makes these chairs unusable in winter. My wheelchair can not even go up the ramp to the building I just moved into if there is even a light dusting of snow on the ramp. It is so very important that I get the Bounder wheelchair before the snow comes.

I will now keep writing examples of the too numerous problems with my present wheelchair. Oh I also asked the Invacare manufacturers rep. Why is it that these wheelchairs not have lights or at bare minimum why do the manufacturers not put reflectors on the chairs? And why do they make the whole chair black? It gets dark out at 4:30 in the colder seasons.

That is because the chairs were never made to be used outdoors.

And why do their wheelchairs not have horns?

I will now take the opportunity to make a statement, some of which will be in question form.

Do you who is reading this have a car? Does it have air filled tires, do you drive it with completely bald tires? Does it have shocks and springs for suspension? Does it have lights? A horn?, Would you drive with bald tires in winter? Would you drive without winter tires in winter etc.. Are you begining to understand my statement? So before you make any desisions about my getting the perfectly safe, well constructed, hand built, custom fitted for my needs, Bounder wheelchair. Think on these things.

I spend most of my time outdoors to socialize as most places are not acceessible. I can not visit friends at home as their places are not accessible.

When I am out doors I have to travel far to be able to find accessible businesses or even a trip to a bathroom means up to half an hour of travel to find an accessible bathroom.

No wonder my tires wear out.

Now Mark you remember the meeting we had resently, the rep from the wheelchair Invacare company, and the place that repairs wheelchairs known as Medichair also sent their rep.

The wheelchair rep even said I need a rear wheel drive chair.

I also spoke about the antique battery charger I was given for my chair. I told you that it constanly stops charging and then drains my batteries. I have to keep restarting the charger to try and get my batteries charged. It was thought that my expensive batteries needed to be replaced but I said no it is the charger that needs to be replaced. The chairs sales rep said he had many spare chargers at home and would give me one in a couple of weeks.

Now I discover that I am not to be given a charger nor are my batteries to checked..

I am still waiting for maintenance to be done on my chair. My tires are now dangerously past bald. They are to the underlining threads. My tires should of been replaced immediately and the tires should of been shipped by priority delivery to the repair shop. Instead I am made to wait for a month or more for the tires.

What would happen if my tires split off the rim? No one would be able to move my chair as the brakes wont release. No one can lift the chair it is too heavy. I would not be able to get home as I can not travel in a seat on most vehicles, I can not walk any distance without my walker.

What would happen? Answer me! It would be a traumatic experience for me. It would be a very difficult and expensive event for the government and anyone else that might try to help me.

Which again is why I need the very safe, sturdy and dependable Bounder wheelchair.

What would you do if your mechanic said it will take up to a month for you to get a shock, a tire, a light bulb or anything else? You would go nuts. You would immediately realize what it would mean for you to not have your car? But you unlike me can get a loaner or have other travel options. But remember, I do not.

How would you feel if you got stranded and trapped in your car and no one came to help you? No tow truck,no emergency response, no other transportation for you to get home, no heat, no anything. How would you feel if you were not allowed to call any emergency services as they would not come because you drive a car?

So why is it you do not see my wheelchair the same way?

Why is it you do not realize that a wheelchair is absolutely neccessary all day long. I can not go out and get a loaner, rental, take a bus or even get outside without my wheelchair.

Do you have any compassion for the disabled. If not then you should not be making any decisions about me or my need for the Bounder wheelchair.

Now Mark you said that the large low pressure tires on the Bounder wheelchair would cause my body to jolt violently sideways with the large knobby low pressure tires.

You are wrong on all counts.

First of all those tires can be inflated to any suitable pressure. So if they are to soft they just get inflated a bit more.
Second that jolting you speak of would only happen with a chair that has no springs and shocks.

The Bounder I need is being made with independent suspension arms, shocks and springs. This chair will not jolt me at all. Plus I need the shock absorbing air filled tires as the chair I have now with the solid tires and no shock absorbing suspenssion is like you throwing a pillow into a shopping cart and then climbing in. Then you ask someone to push you down the sidewalks over bumps and over curb cut outs. I guarantee you, you would soon be screaming to get out of the shopping cart.

Here is another thought.Pay attention the next time you see a bottle collector going down the sidewalk with a shopping cart. Pay attention to all the noise from the little tiny bumps from the lines on the sidewalks. That noise is from the violent bang of the solid tires. Anyway this is what I go through all day. But now that my muscles have died off I can no longer take the pain and injuries from my present suspenssionless chair with its solid tires.

I remember saying that I prefered the solid tires. I said this becuase I believed that this chair would loose to much battery power with soft tires, plus I did not want the risk of a flat. Also another reason why I was able to take the physical jolting was that my musles had not deteriorated yet.

I have to wear a a ridgid neck brace because of the violent joting forward and backwards on my present wheelchair. As I explained before that is because this chair has center drive wheels and the front and back castors are made to lift up and down. This makes my chair very unstable.

The neck brace I wear has a flaw. It has a hard plastic disc that pushes my ribs in in the center of my chest. This disc is for the adjusting knob in the front of my neck brace. The jolting is so violent that I have now developed a serious intermittent cough due to the constant crushing of my chest by hte botto0m front of my neck brace.

You can hear my coughts in many of my music videos I have recorded. The Bounder wheel chair well not jolt me around like my chair now does.

The bounder I need comes with extra large class 27 batteries that will give twice the range that my present chair gives me. even with the softer tires. Also the knobby tires make them able to drive over glass without getting a flat. And also the Bounder air tires come with a puncture sealant that will not allow the tires to go flat.

As you can see now I am comparing my present chair to the Bounder..as I keep writing I will be left with only what the Bounder chair can do that my present mass produced chair does not do.

My present chair has elevation of the seat. But because the chair has such a wobbly suspenssion I can rarely safely use it as the chair would too easily fall over which would most likely kill me.

The elevation is neccessary for my shopping for groceries and for my photography. Or when I am socializing with people who are standing.

I will now show you another example of how terrible my present chairs suspenssion is. Because the two rear outboard castor wheels are attached to control arms that are supported with springs and pistons (shocks). People think that those are shock absorbing. They are not. The back control arms go up, so that when the front of my chair starts going up onto a side walk the rear wheels have to go up or the big center drive wheels would no longer be touching the ground. Now those rear springs are there to force the rear castors to stay on the ground at all times. The problem with this suspenssion is that the springs are not adjustable for the weight of the person riding the chair. So if you are a light weight person your chair will work reasonably, but if you are over two hundred pounds like me. The springs are too light and this causes my chair to constantly rock forward and backwards everytime I stop, go or hit bumps. Another problem with this chair is that the pistons do not work in winter and they freeze up. Probably due to the seals and fluid. So this causes the rear castor wheels to not have any weight on them. Making them flutter violently shaking the whole chair and causing me serious pain. The fluttering gets so violent that it shakes my right hand that is on the controller, further causing the chair to wobble because the motors well be steered by my hand to continuosly be going left and right.

I had phoned the Incacare manufacture of my chair in the USA and they recommended that the rear springs be replaced with the four hunderd pound rated ones. You Mark again ignored this recommendation.

This fluttering is so violent that it causes the chair to make alot of noise that everyone in the neighbourhood hears. It is really discomforting to go down streets and sidewalks and have everybody stare at you because your chair makes so much noise. The fluttering soon destroys the castor stems and bearings. The casters like the main tires have to be replaced very often which is an expensive repair. If you are unfortunate to have a bearing break so bad that you can not use the chair then you are without a chair for over a month while you wait for the small parts to be shipped by truck over a distance of as much as 7000 miles in my case. My government (Social Services, Welfare) refuses to pay for priority delivery on all parts and especially on small light weight parts.

In my case if I do not have a wheelchair it means I stay home. If I need to go out I can not unless the vehicle has a smooth suspenssion and a captains seat with armrests to support me in a straight position.

I almost never travel outside without my wheelchair. If I run out of food I am in serious trouble. As happened to me last winter where I got stranded in my apartment for three months because my wheelchair could not drive on snow, slush or ice. Where as the Bounder wheelchair easily and safely does it.

I telephoned everywhere last winter for someone to bring me food. No one would. Not even Feed Nova Scotia.

Winter is coming fast. If the Bounder wheelchair is ordered now I will get it in two months just in time for the long snowy winter. Like I said before. My present apartment building has a long outdoor gradual concrete wheelchair ramp.

Lets say I go out in winter, the sidewalks are clear and dry. I go to the grocery store. Then when I go to leave I discover it has been snowing outside. That means I am stranded with my present wheelchair and I can not get home as the grocery store has, like most places a fairly steep ramp..Only the large knobby low pressure tires of the Bounder wheelchair would get me home.

So again I ask you to not look at the price of the Bounder wheelchair, but to look at the fact no other chair out there is custom made to suit the riders disabilities like the Bounder is.

Now Mark talking about the sideways jolting that you mentioned knowing about. You could only know that from knowing that the chair I am presently using violently jolts me around.

I would now like to talk about the Bounder horn. Which no other wheelchair offers. You Mark know from all my Folk Videos and Photography and I have also long ago told you that I spend most of my time outdoors as I have always done. Usually I would be on a nature trail or some photo or video shoot. I use to ride my mountain bicycle everywhere.

So you know I have to often cross streets where there are lots of vehicles or I actually may have to ride down the length of a street. If it has no sidewalks or no curb cut outs, which often happens.

I need a horn because so often cars drive through crosswalks as I am crossing the street. The need for a horn are numerous. That is why I installed a high pressure air filled bicycle air horn on my present wheelchair. But that air horn has limits. If I use it more then twice it runs out of air so that I can not have a horn for safety until I get home and reinflate my air horn tank. The Bounder wheelchair solves all those problems too.

Now about the Bounder custom armrests. As you know I have repeatedly told you that the arm rest on my present chair needs to be fixed and replaced with an arm rest that has throughs so my arm will not slide off. My chair still after a year, has not been properly modified to help me.

Also long ago I spoke with you Mark about my not being able to lift up my camera to my face so I could take pictures. I asked you if there were any arm rests that could elevate so I could have my arms go up so I could look through my cameras viewer. You said there was no such thing.

Will the Bounder wheelchair quote shows that yes indeed Bounder can make those custom arm rests for me. Bounder is the only wheelchair manufacturer that can do this. So again the Bounder wheelchair solves all my problems.

Now about the reclining winged steel back rest of the Bounder wheelchair.

I have so often spoken with you Mark about the problems with my back rest. Will the original steel back rest was replaced with a plactic winged back rest. Unfortunately it is a bit to narrow and also to short for my torso. I have already written about the plastic back rest.

You had previously agreed with me that my chair needed a steel reinforcing pipe bar (cross brace) or what ever you want to call it. To go across the back of my back rest to protect me from my seat back rest being bent, pushed in when a bus driver gets behind me to secure my chair to the floor.

The Bounders electronic reclining back rest comes with that bar.

Also the Bounder is to be outfitted with memory foam padding to help cushion my torso due to all my broken ribs.

Here is a side note I would like to mention before I continue.

Before I received my present wheelchair and as I my body was undergoing the continuous deterioration of my muscles. And before I was aware that this was going to happen. I had looked into and asked if I could get a large scooter that had many of the features of the Bounder wheelchair.

I did not know at the time that I would eventually be unable to steer or use a mobility scooter. Which is why I never got a scooter. But Mark you being experienced in dealing with wheelchairs gaveme the chair I have today. I am also assuming you too did not know all the changes my body was going to go through.

Now I have asked you to look at my needs for the Bounder wheelchair.

But you have choosen to rudely ignore me.

Which is why I have had to write this out. And why I have to make sure that others know what is happening.

I am now very concerned about winter coming and I can no longer physically endure the pain that my present chair gives me. Also the chair is causing more damage to my existing injuries.

Now I will explain the many reasons why I need the reclining electronic back rest of the Bounder wheelchair.

I often find myself in positions where my chair is tilting forward,causing me serious pain. Such as on uneven surfaces or while going down hills and curb cut outs. I need to be able to tilt my back rest back for such events.

Also another very important reason why I need a reclining back rest is for when I am in a moving bus. As you may know I got the medical exemption that indicates I can not wear a shoulder belt over my shoulder and torso.

As such I need the seat back rest to be able to recline while I am traveling in a bus. That way my body will not be lurching forward every time the bus stops.

The recliner has to be electronic.

I would like to also make you aware that the Bounders wiring and locations of the buttons for the horn, lights. elevators etc need to be custom positioned and wired because of my physical limitations.

As you do not know. I have spent months on the internet researching and looking for a suitable wheelchair.

After reading, contacting and viewing hundreds of videos. I found the Bounder all terrain wheelchair.
I then telephoned the Bounder company and spent two weeks every day talking with the expert there about my physical condition and limitations. We then spoke about all the technical aspects of my chair and how to build the perfect chair.

I being a former Auto Mechanic am perfectly qualified to do this.

So now the chair I need has been configured and the quote has been written.

But you Mark and every one else in the government have choosen to ignore my needs for this Bounder wheelchair.

Is there not anyone in our goevernment that is cable of reviewing the Bounder wheelchair quote?

If not then let me get the chair I know I need.

I also have included in the quote a second set of tires. An indoor set that are narrower.

I requested these tires for spare in the event that my chair gets a flat.

I had to request this because you the government refuses to provide me with emergency and priority flat tire repairs. So I can not take the chance of being without a chair for months.

I have already proven this. The tires on my present chair have been bald for months and now they are about to split as I am now riding on the inner threads that hold my tire together. My tires have not gone flat because they are airless tires. But they will soon be useless and will soon leave me stranded on a sidewalk .

But again you, Easter Seals and the goverment (Social Services) have left me in a dangerous situation.

Now I am going to speak about the fact that my accident occured almost two years ago.

The motorist was insured for liability.

Economical Insurance has choosen to not offer to pay for anything that I now need as a result of the accident.

The laws have been writen as to make it possible for auto insurers to never pay on liabilities for people who have been run over by a motorist. Laws should be written to make it madatory for insurers to start paying immediately for medically neccessary devices.

So, as I have said before.

Here in Nova Scotia. All Lawyers are Crown (Gov) Lawyers. As such they are all under the control of the government. SO I have told the government that if they want to be reimbursed for the costs of my needs then take your lawyers and go sue the Economical insurance company.

Or change the laws in this province so that pedestrians get all the funds immediately that they need from the insurance company’s liability policy from the drivers insurance policy.

After all Economical Insurance has accepted my claim.

And the driver has already been charged, fined $168.00 and plead guilty.

My present wheelchair needs at least two more thousand dollars in repairs. But the government does not want to keep paying for repairs.

They would not need to if I had the solid and durable Bounder wheelchair.

I need a 12 amp charger right now but they wont give it to me..

Please everyone who reads this understand that my situation is very desperate. My chair is almost not usable, it is dangerous, it is unsuitable for Canadian winters and so I will be imprisoned in my home again this winter.

I am now requesting that everyone who receives this please send me a writen response to thevisionary@rocketmail.com

I will be updating my post on the internet with a list of the people I gave this report to. I will then be updating as to the results I get.

I will also post the contact information of the governmental individuals that I have asked to help me.

So that you my readers can contact them if you choose with your concerns and support.

Thank You Sincerly Daniel J Towsey

See attached pdf file for the Bounder Quote and Mark Burleys email.

Posted on;
http://wheelchairrights.wordpress.com
http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/wheelchairrights This iste also has a library of amazing information.
http://www.facebook.com/WheelchairRights
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wheelchairrights

Sent to Mark Burley October 21th 2011 by email
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your message
Friday, October 14, 2011 5:59 PM
From:
"Burley, Mark"
To:
"Daniel J Towsey"
Hello Daniel - I have been trying to find the time to call this week, but without success, so I thought I would at least email you before the weekend. I did receive your message, and I know you stopped by. I spoke to Cale earlier this week and they are just waiting on one of the last parts to come in before they will contact you to arrange to do the work on your chair.

As far as the Bounder is concerned, unfortunately I won't be able to help you. The chair is unproven here, and I can't prescribe a chair I haven't evaluated. Also, the cost is so high I can't justify it to our funding source. If you were paying privately or had insurance that would cover it then we might be able to explore it further, but I can't ask an underfunded government program to absorb the cost of such an expensive option. The vendor is even unwilling to bring one in to try because it is so expensive. I still feel that if we make the changes we discussed your current chair would perform well, but I'd be happy to look at something else suitable to your needs.

To give you some more information, off road chairs don't tend to perform well in urban environments, especially indoors, and they tend to jostle the user gently but widely on top of the base as a means of suspension over very rough terrain. The problem you have with your current chair when the seat moves relative to the base would be much worse on an off-road chair. They have low pressure tires which are great for absorbing bumps but sacrifice stability, so you sway more in your seat. Plus, these are rear-wheel drive chairs which sacrifice a significant amount of mobility in smaller spaces and around crowds of people. When you're shooting your videos you would not have nearly the same manoueverability as you would with a mid-wheel drive chair like the one you have now.

Think about it a bit if you like, but I'll be honest, I won't be able to get to this for a while either way, as I have so many things to do with other clients.. Email is a good way to reach me and I will try to reply as soon as I can.

______________________________________________
Mark Burley
Occupational Therapist
Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
p) 902-473-7362
f) 902-473-1321