INVACARE

NEW BEDFORD — For two years, Edward Kramer has lived in a first-floor apartment in the city's North End, and for two years, he had left his motorized wheelchair on a ramp outside his door each night without incident.

When he woke up and made his way outside Monday morning, however, his wheelchair was gone.

"I use that chair for everything — to do my groceries, to do my laundry," said Kramer, 57, who believes the wheelchair was stolen.

According to a police report, the wheelchair was taken from the back deck of Kramer's first-floor apartment at 59 Covell St. some time early Monday morning. Police said the person who took the wheelchair could be charged with larceny.

Kramer said he has been disabled since 1989 when he was hit by a truck in California and lost an arm and a leg. Since moving to his current apartment two years ago, he would leave the electric wheelchair, an Invacare Storm brand, outside because it was too big to maneuver around the house. Inside, he uses a manual chair.

He was forced to use the manual chair all last fall and winter as well, because his motorized wheelchair had needed $4,000 worth of repairs, including new tires and a new motor. It was finally ready a month ago.

"I was so happy that I finally got it back. I've been cooped up for eight months," he said. Now the chair is gone again, and Kramer said his insurance company will not pay for a replacement for three more years.

He said a new chair can cost $7,000, which is outside his budget. That means it is back to the manual wheelchair, which gives him less mobility and independence — unless someone returns his electric model.

"I've got a sign outside my house. I'm trying to see if anybody's seen anything." The sign implores the thief to return the wheelchair, no questions asked, and even offers a reward for any information.

As for Kramer, he is disillusioned to learn that something like this could happen in what he called a nice neighborhood.

"You've got to be kind of low to do something like that to someone in a wheelchair."


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