At an intersection in Daejeon, citizens found a woman who had fallen from her wheelchair and rushed to help her.
According to YouTube ‘Hanmuncheol TV’ on the 20th, around 3:28 pm on the 10th, woman A, who was moving in an electric wheelchair at an intersection in Wolpyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, tripped over an obstacle and fell . Fortunately, Mr. And to get out of the dangerous situation safely with the help of passing citizens.
If you look at the video of the situation at the time, Mr A trips over an obstacle which is thought to be a manhole in the middle of the intersection. Then, three citizens who were passing by the neighborhood rushed to help Mr. A. One citizen holds the wheelchair so that it cannot move, and another citizen lifts the woman and sits her. They go on their way only after Mr A is properly seated in the wheelchair and ready to leave. Mr A crosses the intersection safely thanks to the help of citizens.
The informant said, “The person in the electric wheelchair appears to be paralyzed, but the intersection is uneven and it appears that he fell while trying to keep his balance.”” he said.
Attorney Han Moon-cheol praised their actions, but insisted that the local government needed to be checked. He said, “It’s fine to have a smooth surface, like the inside of a building, but it’s very dangerous to have uneven areas. You can’t even go up where the chin is even a little bit.” He said, “The protruding inspection hole may not be for ordinary people, but for those who are uncomfortable in physical (obstacle). Local government seems to need an audit.”
According to the National Statistics Office’s ‘Requirement and Possession of Major Assistive Devices for People with Disabilities’, the number of electric assistive devices such as electric wheelchairs and electric scooters was counted as 142,000 in 2020. In addition to the disabled, elderly people with mobility difficulties also use electric assistive devices, so the actual number of owners is estimated to be higher than this.
According to the Road Traffic Act, users of electric assistive devices are classified as pedestrians and must walk on the pavement. However, it is narrow and has a lot of chin, so it is driven into the road. Indiscriminately neglected street stall facilities and shared bicycles and kickboards are also seen as one of the factors hindering their journey. Roadside trees, telephone poles, and signboards are also regulated so as not to impede the progress of those exposed to traffic, but in many cases they are not properly observed.
