Vehicle: 2017 Chevrolet Silverado
Conversion: Driver’s Side
Introduction: “I was paralysed 38 years ago in a car accident. I have used a manual wheelchair 34 years of that time until my shoulders started to get bad arthritis and many injuries. I was told by my doctor that if i had surgery it might not help and could even make my life worse by reducing my range of motion. He said i should think about preserving what i had by taking some of the strain off of my shoulders with the use of a power chair. I thought then that this would be the end of my days of driving a 4×4 and having the freedom to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors as i had all my life. I started doing research on alternatives to vans and a friend told me he had seen a truck once where the door slid out like an rv slide out which allowed the driver to be picked up in his wheelchair and put in the drivers seat space. Doing research on the internet i came upon an article about ATC lifts and the rest is history. I convinced the Department Of Aging and Rehabilitation in northern Virginia that this was the answer to all my transportation problems and that this conversion would allow me to keep working and keep my independence. They took some convincing but i am a person who does not take no for an answer much, so after a year of jumping through hoops they agreed to convert my new truck with an ATC lift. I am now back to the independent man i have always been. Thanks ATC”
How does your ATC vehicle improve everyday life? “With my truck i am able to haul, tow and carry the things that make my life fun and interesting. I can get to places that a lot of people can’t and in general be a part of society in a way that makes me feel like i am a whole person. The lift gets a lot of attention so i get to meet and converse with many people who love my truck and the freedom that it gives me. I am a people person and love to meet new people. I can get in and out of my truck easily and quickly so everyday life is so much easier to deal with. My wife likes having someone else to drive her around and like the old saying goes, happy wife, happy life. We are now traveling the country in an rv and i am in the process of putting a tow system on the front so that i can take my truck with us wherever we go. A friend is making me a slide out box with separate compartments so that i can carry ramps and tools i need, along with my fishing and hunting equipment for my recreation needs. My life is very full and i owe much of that to God and my ATC lift.”
What are your favorite features of the conversion? “Ease of use.
Fast cycle times
Stock look to my truck
A reel conversation piece
No transfers and no wheelchair transportation problems
Low noise
Easy to maintain
Still have full use of my trucks passenger and carry spaces
The door acts as an umbrella during inclement weather
My independence”