WHEELCHAIR TIPOVERS

Wheelchair tipovers are by far, the most common accident/incident scenario in paratransit and non-emergency medical transportation... 3. Fittings on both ends of each belt or strap must be complete and intact. Both the rubber hooks or fixtures affixed to the chair and the fittings connected to the tracks (or plates or discs) must fit perfectly. At the floor end (i.e., tracks, plates or discs), the fittings should snap or click into place. This click is usually audible, and drivers should be taught to pay attention to it. At the wheelchair end, the fixtures should be attached to an intelligently-selected part of the chair's structure near each wheel position, and attached to it, or wrapped around it, so that, when the belt is tightened, that fixture cannot come off.