A disabled veteran in Missouri was out for an afternoon of fishing when his electric wheelchair got stuck in the muddy grass. Some neighbors tried to help get it free, but when no one was strong enough to move it, they called the Raytown Fire Protection District for help.
The firemen were able to pick the wheelchair up and carry it to dry land, but by then the battery was running out. Deputy fire chief Mike Hunley says, “They had to get this man home, and there was no better way than to push him.”
So the trio of firefighters switched the wheelchair into neutral mode and pushed the veteran seven blocks back to his house in 80-degree weather. The trip took about a half hour and when they got there, the firefighters helped get the man up the ramp so he could charge his battery.“Most people call the fire department when they’re not sure who else to call, but this one was a little unique,” Hunley says. “Helping people is a gratifying job.”