Taxi Driver Online

Birmingham Coroner calls for new taxi restraints for wheelchairs

THE Birmingham Coroner has called for the compulsory use of restraints for wheelchair users in taxis following the tragic death of a 14-year-old disabled girl. Aidan Cotter also said Birmingham City Council should make it part of the terms of the driver’s licence and that they should also attend a five-hour seminar on disability discrimination training.

He made his comments after hearing that a black cab driver had picked up Razan Begum from Birmingham Children’s Hospital in February. Razan was with her father and her younger sister and suffered from a “terrible illness” which made her spine very fragile. The wheelchair she was in was loaded sideways into the vehicle which then set off.

Mr Cotter said something then happened to cause the wheelchair to “jerk” and Razan lost consciousness almost immediately. She died two days later despite attempts to save her. He said neither the cab driver nor her father had committed any criminal offence and there was no suggestion the driver had driven badly.

He recorded a verdict that Razan of Rupert Street, Nechells died as a result of an accident. Taxi driver Ashfaq Hussain said because of the design of his cab it had been impossible for him to fit the restraints on the wheelchair as well as having two passengers.

He said he had told Razan’s father that if necessary he should hold onto the chair and that he became aware that something had happened after coming out of a tunnel.

Peter Barrow, head of licensing for Birmingham City Council, said Mr Hussain received his taxi licence in 2003 and that it only became a requirement for new drivers the following year to receive disability training.

He added that it would appear to be “common practice” to put wheelchairs into taxis sideways and that this did pose a risk.

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IDFIMH

IMO if the council introduce a training requirement such as disability training then ALL drivers who don't already have it should do it. Why should it be that drivers from 2004 need training but those before hand don't

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Terrible as this may be I dont think it would've made any difference how the chair was positioned, if this girl had such a fragile spine she really should've been transported by specialist carriers and not bunged in a box cab.

I personally have never positioned a chair at 90 degrees to the partition and would only do so if the customer asked me too.

I knew this was coming, hence my news topic post dated 1st July; A Hypothetical Imaginary Scenario; Your views please!!

http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/vie ... hp?t=11716

I didn't expect it to have been to the Coroner's Court so soon & expected far more guidance from the Coroner in his judgement.

It was indeed a tragic case.

For the record, if I am called to a wheelchair job, the passenger in the wheelchair only travels one way; facing backwards, wheelchair brakes applied, wheelchair chassis clamps fitted, wheelchair seat belt fitted.

On arriving to pick up a wheelchair passenger, I check that the tyre on the wheelchair are not flat; if they are then the wheelchair has not been maintained properly & the brakes on the wheelchair will not work. Also, before a wheelchair is loaded into my cab I check, with a tape measure that I carry, that the wheelchair with the passenger in is not too long & can be turned round inside the cab to face rearwards. If it can't then it does not even get loaded.

If after positioning the wheelchair facing backwards it means that there are no seats left for accompanying passengers, then they either travel in another cab, or I leave the job & another large (Eurotaxi whatever) is called that can take the all passengers including the wheelchair passenger.

These are ALL proper risk assessments for such a job & should be part of the NVQ, which I am perfectly sure they are.

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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Now the question I would be asking; is which particular wheelchairs have a manufacturers certificate to say that they have been designed to be used in this way in a vehicle..... because last time I checked they were refusing to accept any responsibility.

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

All I can say is it's an unforeseen tragic event, I think everyone in this scenario is a victim to some degree, and as Darren said, someone in that condition should've been specialist transported, I doubt the driver had any more knowledge other than the person was disabled and would've assumed it was just another journey in just another day.

And how many different types of wheelchair are produced in this country?

How many different types of wheelchair are imported into this country?

My wife had to use a wheelchair for several months during late 2008 & early 2009 & we were lucky to have one loaned to us by one of her work colleagues. But I researched wheelchairs on the Internet at the time, in case we had to buy one. There were about 50-50 folding wheelchair alone & at a rough guess I would think there are about 900+ different types of wheelchairs manufactured in this country alone. Then you have the ones that are imported freom abroad.

How many wheelchair disabled people maintain their wheelchair to an exceptable standard, especially the tyre pressures & brake lever tensions?

I wonder how many cabbies have loaded wheelchairs into their cabs with flat tyre & as a result have not been able to apply the wheelchair brakes?

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

Not that I've seen they aren't. How to load a wheelchair is covered by the college I work from (they have a WAV and a wheelchair to use) but not the wheelchair maintenance info that you have just supplied. I will of course now bring it to their attention.



Wheelchair manufacturers should be brought into line with everything else. I mean everything you buy has some kind of information about use on even the pans I have in my kitchen tell me what I can and can't do with them.

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Whilst you are at it, you can ask them what should a driver do if the wheelchair's axle span is too wide or too narrow to go up a ramp that is in two pieces; that is one ramp per each side of the wheelchair?

It will be interesting to hear what the learned NVQ tutors will say on this.

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
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I will but I've only ever seen WAV's with one ramp

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Metrocabs, early Eurocabs & others, all still in use.

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

I knew there would be some otherwise you wouldn't have asked the question Any chance of the answer

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

You don't do the job, because you cannot safely load the wheelchair passenger into your cab in the manner prescribed by the vehicle manufacrurer & also the prescribed manner for loading a wheelchair passenger as per the Disability Rights Commission in their guidance paper on transportation of wheelchair passengers.

That same guidance paper also clearly states that UNDER NO CIRCUSTANCES should a wheelchair passenger be carried sideways in a WAV taxi.

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

I was aware that wheelchairs should not be carried sideways. I was also inclined to say if you can't load safely then don't do the job but I thought perhaps there was a catch in your question

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

I don't play games like that on serious topic. I tell it as it is.

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.