Parent riding electric wheelchair has been hit by cars four times while crossing street

Jun 30, 2023

A disabled parent who relies on an electric wheelchair was struck four times in little over a year while trying to cross the street. They now suffer from PTSD and additional health issues

One second, Dani Arbo-Williams was inching across an intersection in their electric wheelchair. The next, they were spinning out uncontrollably, twirling out down the road for more than 15 feet before finally coming to a stop.

They had been hit by a pickup truck barreling down the road at 25 to 30 mph, which hit them on the left side.

"I thought he was going to stop," the 29-year-old Sanford, Maine, resident said of the driver, "but he did not."

He claimed not to have seen Dani in the moment — a result of a lack of crossing signs or signals that would make traversing the highway much safer for residents, especially those with disabilities like Dani, they said.

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The Aug. 1 accident, which occurred at the intersection of River and High Streets, wasn't the first time Dani had been hit crossing an intersection in their hometown, however.

Twice this past June, the parent was hit by first a pickup truck and then a cargo van on two separate occasions as they crossed the intersection of Washington and Pioneer Streets. Before that, in July 2022, they were hit by a pickup truck in Springvale, Maine.

"Pedestrian safety in the city isn’t taken seriously," they said. "They’re prioritizing vehicle safety over pedestrians."

Dani noted a lack of crosswalk signals and pedestrian warning signs, faded paint on the roads and sidewalks that aren't ADA-compliant. They said there are also a lot of distracted drivers and unfinished construction that has been impacting traffic near the intersections.

The accidents totaled Dani's wheelchair twice, and they had to get the wheels replaced once. They've also left the 29-year-old with "extensive hospital bills" and PTSD as well as gastroparesis (a digestive condition), multiple organ prolapses (in which bodily organs slide down into the genitals), two concussions, lots of bruising and back and neck pain.

They also have a heightened level of anxiety when it comes to crossing the street now, stating that their experiences have been "traumatizing." They wear safety vests now and have a safety flag attached to their wheelchair.

Dani has shared their story with local elected officials, but they said their concerns and trauma have largely been ignored. They've been writing officials since May 2022, they said, before any of the incidents happened.

"The city has not taken my concerns for pedestrian safety seriously," they said.

On top of the injuries and mental trauma suffered from their accidents, Dani also suffers from:

They've been relegated to wheelchair use for about 40% of their daily tasks since 2020.

Dani said they'll keep fighting to get changes made to intersections that would make them safer for pedestrians like them — but the fight will likely be a long and difficult one.

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