A disabled woman was left with a broken wrist after falling out of her wheelchair due to e-scooters being “carelessly” abandoned in the middle of the street.
Tracy Baldwin, 58, has voiced her anger over the horrific incident, which she said had a huge impact on her life.
The incident happened while she was sitting in her electric chair outside Woodthorpe Park on Mansfield Road.
She tried to bypass two e-scooters that were “irresponsible” on the sidewalk on Monday (May 12th) around 5 p.m.
She said, “I couldn’t bypass the e-scooters on Mansfield street because it would have been too dangerous,” she said.
“So I had to walk around the Woodthorpe Park side and when I did that the bikes had to be slightly under the bank outside the park and me and my electric chair went over.
“So I’m on the floor and can’t get up because I can’t move my legs,” she recalls. “A gentleman appeared and two men physically lifted me and put me back in the electric chair.”
When she returned home on Edwards Lane, Ms. Baldwin noticed that her electric char was damaged and that there was a lump on her hand.
“On the way to Tesco, I had a very vague pain in my hand and my hand felt a little tender using it.
“At 7 p.m. I couldn’t use my hand at all.”
The morning after she was picked up by an ambulance and taken to the hospital, she found that she had broken her wrist after the incident.
She is now recovering at home after going to the hospital on Wednesday April 14th.
“It had a big impact on my life,” she said.
“As someone who is paralyzed – in order for me to be able to do something, I have to have two hands.”
Ms. Baldwin suffered a spinal stroke in June last year that paralyzed her lower body.
She now relies on her electric chair to move around.
“I used to have a supervisor once a day and now I have to have two supervisors four times a day,” she added. “That’s seven more chances of contracting coronavirus.”
Speaking of the people who left the scooters on the sidewalk, she added, “These people are completely negligent and irresponsible.
“Let alone the damage to the electric chair – but what about the damage that happened to me? The chair is only a fraction of it.
Ms. Baldwin was practicing physical therapy as part of her treatment to improve mobility prior to the incident.
She said: “I can’t do this anymore and nobody realizes how important this is for someone who is paralyzed.
“I sit in this chair day and night. In less than a year, I’ll be at a point where I can only use one hand.”
She has spoken to Nottingham City Council and is calling for more to be done to monitor the e-scooter process in Nottingham.
Councilor Adele Williams, Transportation Portfolio Owner, said: “We were very concerned about this accident and wish Tracy a full and speedy recovery.
“An officer spoke to Tracy this week to find out all the details of the incident. This will help us and the operators of Wind Mobility to find further solutions to these types of problems. Reducing the risks to pedestrians, including people with disabilities, is our top priority.
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“We’ve flagged parking lots across the city to encourage responsible parking, and Wind Mobility recently tripled fines for users who park improperly as an added deterrent.
“We have been in this government-led process for nearly six months, and while problems will inevitably arise with the introduction of a new mode of transport, we continue to take a number of measures to combat unacceptable behavior.
“As with any type of transport, however, we rely on users to behave responsibly and with consideration for all road users.”
Felix Eggert, Senior Manager for Politics and Communication, added: “We would also like to extend our good wishes and wish her a speedy recovery.
“We have contacted Nottingham Council on this matter and have taken numerous measures to encourage users to park their scooters correctly.
“We will take further action on this matter and are currently working on additional technical solutions to improve the problem of improperly parked scooters.
“In the meantime, and in addition to the measures set by the Council, we have doubled the number of street patrols roaming the streets, focusing on hotspot areas with heavy traffic and reports of improperly parked scooters.