Oops!
I took a turn too fast in the parking lot of my condo the other morning and tipped to the left. And with that, my mobility scooter and I headed for a fall.
Do you know the feeling when something bad is about to happen and there’s nothing you can do to stop it? I had that feeling. Five seconds seemed like 50 as the 325-pound scooter began to tilt and I knew there was not a thing I could do to keep it from falling on top of me.
I’m not a stranger to scooter riding
I should’ve known better. Because of my multiple sclerosis, I’ve ridden a scooter for years, and I’ve had this happen before. Both times I went down to the left, and both times I was able to slowly pick myself up, dust myself off, and ride all over again.
But this time, during those five seconds, I really thought I was going to be hurt.
It turns out the scooter and I are both pretty tough. Though I was momentarily trapped — my left foot was stuck under the scooter, and my left leg has trouble bending due to my MS spasticity — I was able to extricate myself, push and pull myself off the ground, and upright the scooter (which was made a little easier because its 30-pound battery pack came dislodged during the fall).
A quick check found no harm to the scooter or me except for a scraped left elbow (easily handled with a dab of Neosporin) and my bruised pride. My new scooter, purchased only about a month ago to replace an older one, wasn’t even scratched.
Choose the best scooter for you
I’ve always recommended that people with MS get an electric scooter when they get to the point that it’s difficult to comfortably walk more than a short distance. Using a lighter weight, collapsible scooter my wife and I have traveled all over the world and have visited some wonderful places. Closer to home, the scooter helps with shopping and lets me share in walking our dog.
But when I’ve made those recommendations, I’ve never cautioned that a scooter should be ridden with respect and that some are more stable than others. Some are better at handling inclines, some are tough to use on grass, and most don’t do well on gravel. It’s information someone needs to consider when choosing a scooter, and there are a lot of sizes, shapes, and weights to choose from, as well.
My scooters have always been the three-wheel style, like a tricycle. The one I travel with is very light, but also very unstable. My neighborhood ride is heavier, wider, and more stable — but that’s the one that toppled the other day.
There are also some scooters with four wheels, two in the front. Naturally, they’re more stable than what I’ve been riding. Maybe a four-wheeler is the safer way for me to go.
Or maybe I should just stop speeding.
(A version of this post first appeared as my column on the MS News Today website.)
