A Prince George man who narrowly escaped with his life when his wheelchair-accessible van caught fire and was destroyed is appealing to the public to help him find a replacement vehicle.
Left a quadriplegic in a car accident 36 years ago, Ken Legros lost the van that connected him to the outside world when it started to burn on May 5th as he drove into the parking lot of the Art Knapps Plantland garden centre on Kimball Road.
With smoke pouring out from under the hood, his care aid, Rebecca Roylance, ran into store to ask for help getting Legros out of the burning van. Without power, the driver’s side door where he sat remained locked and there was no way out except for the sliding door on the side where his wheelchair lift is located. Two men from the store helped Roylance pull Legros from the van just before it was consumed by flames.
“I was sitting there on the ground watching everything burn, in tears, because I babied that thing for so long, it was in better shape than some new ones,” said the 57-year-old Legros. “Within seconds of where I was sitting, it was totally engulfed. It was a very scary. It was a very traumatic experience and I had a lot of PTSD after. I’m lucky I got out alive.”
Legros bought the GMC Vandura van new when he was 21, shortly after he resumed his life after the rollover accident between Terrace and Kitwanga that broke his neck and cost him the use of limbs. The former logger has been living on disability payments ever since and regularly set aside some of that money to keep the van in pristine condition. The van had great sentimental value and he intended to eventually pass it on to one of his great-nephews.
“My van was my freedom, vital transportation, independence, and life,” said Legros. “My freedom to do activities I love, like hunting, fishing and camping, is gone.”
His house insurance covered the cost to replace his power chair, but his ICBC insurance settlement provided only part of the replacement cost for a used van, estimated at $55,000-80,000. A wheelchair lift costs $16,000 and the six-way seat he needs is $10,000. Including hand controls, the parts alone cost about $30,000. A new law also requires an electric backup in the event the power steering belt/power brake system fails, and for that to be installed he’s been told he needs a van built in 2010 or later.
Legros is hoping to raise $30,000 for a replacement vehicle through his GoFundMe page.
Kara-brianne Petitpas Zantingh was hired by Legros as his full-time personal support worker 10 days after the fire. She helps him get out of bed, get dressed and into his wheelchair, cooks meals for the day and is there as his daily companion. She’s hopeful donors will respond with donations to help him buy a new van to relieve the stress of his predicament.
“He’s the most compassionate boss I’ve ever had,” said Petitpas Zantingh. ”I started working and just thought it was going to be a job but I ended up finding a really good friend. He’s awesome to be around and he’s so kind, he really cares about me, so I feel the love in our relationship is more than just work.
“It really sucks that something like this happened to a person like him. As an able-bodied human I never really understood the high expenses they go through until this happened. The cost to get any vehicle converted is so expensive and being able to find a reliable vehicle is hard, and the ones we have found we just can’t afford.”
Legros loves the freedom of being able to drive and had a stock car equipped with hand controls he raced for seven years in Terrace in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was the first quadriplegic in Canada to race on an oval track.
Petitpas Zantingh and Legros are both from Terrrace and he’s talked about one day heading back there together for a weeklong visit with friends and family, once he gets his mobility back.
“I’m hoping this blows up, so he can get something brand-new, something he can be proud of again, because I think he deserves it,” she said.
