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Minor Injuries: Motorized Power Chair Hit By Pickup
April 5, 2011
A man on motorized power chair was struck by a pickup truck late Tuesday morning in Century.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Charles Jarman, 70, of Flomaton was traveling in the roadway when his Jazzy power chair was struck by a pickup truck driven by Jerry Fischer, 71, of Century at the intersection of Bradley Street and Hecker Road about 11:05 a.m.
Jarman was transported by Escambia County EMS to Jay Hospital with minor injuries. Fischer was not injured.
Charges are pending the accident, according to the FHP, as their investigation continues.
Pictured above: The man on this motorized power chair was struck by a pickup Tuesday morning in Century. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
27 Responses to “Minor Injuries: Motorized Power Chair Hit By Pickup”
I have been confined to a power wheelchair for 34 years due to a football injury at the age of 16 in March of 1977. I have driven my chair to visit or check on my neighbors health or just to feel a breeze on a warm summer day. I cannot drive a van/car due to muscle spasms, I drive this chair as if it was a car! Some people would like for me to sit in my lawn and watch them enjoy their drives to the store or any change of my venue. As a C-5 quadriplegic you realize most people wish you well but you have that 5 percent that hate you because you are not ”norm-able” and .5 percent that wished you were dead or worse… in a ”HOME”. I have had people make attempts to run over me by crossing double yellow lines 4 ft; So what type person are you as a driver? God Knows!!!
It is the motorist’s responsibility to do everything possible to avoid colliding with pedestrians.
——————————————————————-
Ziggy,
The above was copied and pasted from the Florida Drivers’ Handbook.
Go back and read the book again. The only time pedestrian have the right of way is in a crosswalk. If your not in a cross walk your jay walking.
No, Terri, you did NOT have the right of way. The pedestrian ALWAYS does. That doesn’t make them right, but it does clearly lay the responsibility on the drivers to watch out for them.
If you have the right of way and do not pay attention you could become dead right.Right of way means looking out for all those dumb people who do dumb things while driving.I have nearly hit this guy and his scooter when I had the right of way.He is a danger to himself and others and needs to be kept off the streets before some one gets killed trying to avoid him.Dead right doesn’t mean a thing if you are killed.
i have almost hit this person myself before he never pays attention and personlly shouldnt be riding it around if hes is going to be so careless he may be a good guy but everytime i see hime he never looks where he is goin and is going to end up getting killed on it
I work at a local business in Flomaton and the gentleman on the scotter comes into the business. When he leaves he will pull into the highway in from of people. He never looks to see where he is going. I have had people in the store say that he was going to get hit if he didnt watch what he was doing. He never looked to see if he was pulling in front of someone and he never would move out of the way. I truly hope he is ok. They just need to keep those scotters off of the road it is to dangereous. Mr. Jerry we will be praying for youa lso. You are a wonderful person.
@TO A FRIENDLY NEIGHBOR
I KNOW MR. CHARLIE PERSONALY, AND I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT HE HAS A REFLECTOR VEST HANGING FROM HIS ELECTRIC (WHEELCHAIR)SKOOTER. MR. CHARLIE IS CAPABLE OF GETTING ON THE ECAT BUS AND GOING TO PENSACOLA. JUST THE OTHER DAY HE WAS TELLING US THAT HE GOT TO PENSACOLA AND FORGOT HIS FLASHLIGHT,SO HE WENT RIGHT THEN AND BOUGHT HIMSELF A KNEW ONE. HE SAID HE WOULD NEED IT FOR ONE TO SEE HOW TO GET HOME AND TWO SO EVERYONE ELSE COULD SEE HIM AFTER DARK. PEOPLE PLEASE LOOK WHERE YOU ARE GOING.
I know this gentleman and his brother personally. They are very nice people and I think alot of both of them. Can’t people just show a little human kindness here? This is basically the only way these men have of getting around during the day. I understand they shouldn’t be in the middle of the road, but just slow down and go around them! He was just trying to get down to the public library. And I have known Mr. Fischer all my life as well. I know he would never hit someone on purpose. That is why these things are called accidents. I’m sorry this happened to Mr. Charles and Mr. Fischer as well. I am just glad he got by with a few scrapes and bruises.
This man may have had the right of way, but he is going to get killed on that thing. He is out on the street sometimes at 8:00 at night with no reflectors on this chair. There is more than on person riding on the streets of Century in these things, sometimes there will be two or three riding together. I pray that these people will learn something from this accident before it is to late.
It’s still a wheelchair in Florida and cannot be licensed and tagged. Alabama does not license or tag them either.
People don’t seem to understand that a bicycle or anything else you ride on, does NOT belong on the sidewalk. You will be ticketed for riding a bike anywhere other than the roadway IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR LANE just like a car, and is supposed to be treated just like another car by other drivers UNLESS there is a clearly marked and separate bicycle lane. This means that cars should NOT honk at them for being in the road nor should they scoot around them but rather get completely in the next lane to go past them, otherwise, they risk a ticket and are entirely too close to that cyclist. (Florida law anyway, haven’t checked Alabama law on it)
Look it up online – Alabama laws – I did and here is what it said —
Alabama
(copy and pasted)
Every bicycle with a motor attached is defined as a motor-driven cycle.[28] The operation of a motor-driven cycle requires a class M driver license. Restricted class M driver licenses are available for those as young as 14 years of age.[29
Same as a golf cart and they can’t be driven down the road in Alabama. LSV’s can be driven on public roads (low-speed vehicles) but a scooter or motorized wheelchair does not qualify as one.
I would think a wheelchair would be considered a motor driven cycle – Dictionary.com defines a cycle this way “a bicycle, motorcycle, tricycle, etc.” and also says the origin is from 1350-1400 Middle English meaning circle or wheel.
Anyone driving these things on a county, state, or federal road should be told they cannot do it. It is a hazzard to all concerned. I think it’s illegal for a pedestrian to stroll down the middle of the road – even though when they choose to do so, they have the right of way – like jay walking. The cops should do something about this before someone gets killed.
I’d love to have one but if I did, I would not be crazy enough to drive it in the road. Maybe on the sidewalk and cross the road at an intersection if it were safe to – going to the grocery store.
I know, right? I thought, “Oh, yeah, I can really appreciate the humor of picturing someone going to the DMV and asking for a license plate for a CHAIR!!! They’re really going to laugh them out of there for that!!! LOL
It is a wheelchair, not a motorized scooter. AND he DOES have the right of way. I can’t imagine anyone NOT understanding that. If you are unable to walk and are put in a motorized chair, it is obviously a glorified wheel chair. How hard is that to understand?
Common sense says to watch out for EVERYTHING that is on the roadway, whether it has a right to be there or not. The legality of its presence doesn’t make a bit of difference when you hit something. A child shouldn’t be there either, but if you hit that child, he/she will still be just as dead. As a motorist, the responsibility lies with YOU to avoid all obstacles.
I suspect that if any charges arise from this, they will be against Jerry.
I guess I should check into an electric powerchair, beats high gas prices. Can you get those things with big bumpers?
@ live in the neighborhood
I did a search on “disability access vehicles”, and that is considered a vehicle such as a van with a power lift on it, not a scooter like this man was riding, which is considered a wheelchair.
He had the right of way, and should have been treated as a pedestrian.
I almost hit this person or another on one of these motorized power chairs on my way to work one morning. It was at the intersection Hwy 29 and 4A, he was crossing the road and I barely saw him in time to miss him. It was a few months ago during the winter and at 4:30 in the morning, and I was driving the speed limit, 35 MPH. As I went around behind him he appeared to have a reflective vest on, but the vest wasn’t visible when he had his side turned to me in the middle of Hwy 29. If I had hit him I might have been in violation of the law, but on the other hand, and this is only my opinion, for someone to be out on the street with one of these things at 4:30 AM is a violation of common sense.
your are right pulling through the drive through at odoms bar he definitely is drinking right…… I know for a fact you can get arrested for operating these things under the infleuence of alchol or narcotics……. I hope everyone in the accident is alright they are pedestrians but crossing hwy 29 is not safe… but you got to do what you got to do……
@Not again, this is a motorized scooter, not a wheelchair. Facts such as this are important.
From the Florida DMV
“A. All motorcycles, mopeds and disability access vehicles are issued a regular motorcycle style license plate. These license plates must be renewed annually.”
Point 1. If his scooter requires a license plate, he is NOT a pedestrian.
Point 2. If the scooter was not licensed, then the driver of the scooter deserves to be cited for that and for reckless drving.
Anyone who lives in this area can tell you how recklessly this man drives. It is not acceptable and is a danger not only to him but to other motorists who constantly have to dodge him. Even if one is driving the speed limit, it is a danger!
@ concerned parent
Exactly correct. A person in a wheelchair is considered a pedestrian and pedestrians ALWAYS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY. If you think otherwise, you probably need to go re-take the driving test.
There is a elderly black man that rides one of those scooter down Stateline Rd from the Living Center, he then crosses highway 29, and goes through the drive through at Odom’s bar. He then travels back to the Living Center. It is totally scary. I’m always on the look out for him if I travel that way, because I know he isn’t looking out for himself on that thing. Those scooters are not meant to be ridden in the middle of the road, if they were they’d have licence plates and have to carry insurance.
Ummmm, if I’m not mistaken, the pedestrian (and he is considered a pedestrian) ALWAYS has the right of way. No matter what they are riding, it is your responsibility as a driver to be on the lookout for them. What if it had been a child? Then what? Maybe if everybody would drive the speed limit (yeah, I know, hell hasn’t frozen over yet) and look where they were going, things like this wouldn’t happen.
I’ve known Jerry for years too. That doesn’t mean it’s any different than anybody else hitting a pedestrian. He should have been paying more attention and that’s all there is to it.
I live a block from where this accident happened. This man and his friends who ride with him on their motorized chairs are always putting themselves in harms way. Just last weekend, the lady that rides with them pulled directly into the path of a pickup as I was driving by in the other lane. These scooters are NOT meant to be used on public roadways/I have known Mr. Fischer for years, and I do hope that the pending charges are not against him. The person riding the scooter is the one at fault here.
i am glad he’s ok, but he needs to realize that them roads are dangerous, and a power chair will not protect you if it gets ran over. I will be driving on hecker road all the time and even sit on the swing and watch him ride, and he doesnt even take effect that there are cars coming toward him and coming behind him. we have to get over in the other lanes because he doesn’t always use the sidewalk. But again i am glad he’s ok.
Hoping for his fast recovery!
I saw this man yesterday on Freedom Rd in Century and I had to go around him because he was in the lane I was driving in. I hope he is ok, but really he shouldn’t be riding his power chair in the middle of the road.
OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU MR. CHARLIE. WE HOPE YOU HAVE A SPEEDY RECOVERY.