See more news releases in: Automotive, Handicapped, Disabled
Toyota Mobility Donates Vehicles to Young Vets Wounded in Iraq
NEW YORK, April 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.,
Inc. and auto show management presented two modified vehicles to veterans
wounded by improvised explosive devices during their tours in Iraq at the
opening ceremonies for the New York International Automobile Show this
week.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070409/NYM093-A )
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070409/NYM093-B )
U.S. Army vet Luis Puertas, 20, of Long Island City, Queens, checked
out his new wheelchair-accessible 2007 Toyota Sienna Rampvan outside the
Javits Convention Center. He lost both legs when an IED exploded under his
Humvee in Baghdad last September.
Luis was fitted with two prosthetic legs at Walter Reed Army Hospital.
Although he can now walk short distances, the Sienna Rampvan will greatly
increase his mobility. It was extensively modified, first by BraunAbility
of Winamac, Ind., which lowered the floor 10 inches and added a powered
wheelchair ramp. After evaluating his needs, J. Bussani, Inc. can install a
wheelchair docking device and hand controls at its facility in Bethpage,
N.Y., so that Luis can drive the Sienna unaided.
The second vet is U.S. Marine Ryan Donnelly, 23, a native of
Centereach, Long Island now living in Manhattan. He took delivery of a 2007
Toyota Yaris that was equipped with a left-foot accelerator by J. Bussani,
Inc. of Bethpage, NY. Ryan lost his right leg below the knee in Iraq in
October, 2005. He was fitted with a prosthetic device at Walter Reed Army
Hospital. A Purple Heart recipient, he served two tours in Iraq and one in
Afghanistan.
About Toyota Mobility:
The Toyota Mobility Assistance Program includes a comprehensive
resource information web site at www.toyota.com/mobility, where consumers
can locate rehabilitation specialists, driving instructors for persons with
disabilities, and mobility equipment dealers who sell and install the
equipment as well as provide user training.
About BraunAbility:
The Braun Corporation is the largest mobility products company in the
world. Braun also produces scooter and chair lifts, Lift-Up Seats,
wheelchair ramps and other aids for the estimated 54 million Americans with
disabilities.
SOURCE Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
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