By Deven Clarke, WJAC-TV
DUBOIS – Trooper Bradley Wilson, who was shot in the line of duty in September of 2013 and who was subsequently paralyzed, has regained some of his mobile freedom.
Wilson has received an Action Trackstander, an all-terrain wheelchair. His new wheelchair is one designed to help mobilize people with disabilities and that can even lift them to a standing position.
“We have two different kinds of tracks,” said Douglas Liszka, a regional distributor of Action Track wheelchairs. “We have a track for the individual who’s an avid outdoorsman and who needs to go everywhere. Then, we have a kind of middle-of-the-road comfort track that is basically like your on- and off-road tire.”
On Tuesday, family, friends and fellow troopers joined Wilson for a special ceremony, during which a number of donors presented him with a new $20,000 state-of-the-art wheelchair specially designed to meet his needs.
“It’s amazing the support that I’ve received from the community and from people who have given me this chair,” said Wilson. The Gary Sinise Foundation was a major donor who helped provide Wilson with his new wheelchair.
“We just do as much as we can as often as we can for all our wounded heroes,” said John Woodall of the Gary Sinise Foundation. “And when I say heroes, I mean military, police and fire locally. We thank them for their service.”
Other organizations also donated chair parts and helped with installation and consultation, which made it possible for Wilson to get back on his feet and into the world he’s missed for more than one year.
“I plan on going up into Camp Mountain Run, the Boy Scout camp, to try it out up there,” said Wilson. Wilson added that he’s also looking forward to taking his new wheelchair to the Outer Banks this summer and trying it out on the beach.
Wilson’s new wheelchair is currently only 80 percent complete. Donors are planning additional customizations, which include adding the blowing straw he uses to move his other wheelchair.