Ruth Colby(Sunshine) Fund

Organized by riderassistance.chipin.com
Ruth's Up and About - 9/16/08
Dennis D -
Well folks.... Ruth isn't the greatest patient, quit her rehab, is walking around, and riding on a somewhat crippled scooter(a 150 that will just barely go 30 mph) she had in her mother's garage. It's a bit too tall for her, as by her own accont she has to slide to the very front of the seat to get her feet firmly on the ground.... but it's her choice, and it is what it is. While I question her judgement, I admire her spunkiness.
At this writing, it will still be quite some time before her workplace will allow her to come back to work on account of liability concerns.
The first $250 has been sent to Ruth, but most or all of that is going to her mother to help with the expenses of taking Ruth in.
She's wearing an old helmet she had, but still needs her other safety gear that was destroyed in the accident replaced. I would still like to raise another $200 by the end of the month to help replace Ruth's shredded safety gear. Then she can be protected by some decent abrasion resistant gear and armor..... which is what saved her from much worse injury this time.
What the fund is for:
Folks, here's what we want to do with this fund:
The first $250 is to go to Sunshine so she can give her Mom, who has taken her in(and is already living on a shoestring and taking care of Sunshine's 100% disabled sister) money for gas to get her back and forth to rehab and to pitch in what's left to help with expenses. I've spoken to Sunshine, and this works for her. The rest of the donations to go to getting an all around capable scooter with a low seat height and cushy ride and suspension.
These are the things that most of you may not know about Sunshine. She's a very upbeat person 99% of the time and doesn't complain much. But, when she had this accident, she was already wearing a back brace and a leg brace, on account of a former unrelated back injury that caused nerve damage in her back which affected one of her legs. She doesn't have feeling in that leg below the knee and because of this has foot drop, her foot drops and she would be unable to hold it up and walk properly on the sole of her foot, except for the lower leg and ankle brace. The brace made it that she HAS TO, and CAN ONLY ride something she can flatfoot.

Now it's worse than that. This accident(besides breaking a leg in two places) has done more damage to the disc in her back affecting those nerves, so now she has no feeling in both lower legs, and has braces on both legs for foot drop, and a bigger back brace!

She shouldn't be riding around on a little 50cc bike with little narrow wheels that take small tires and take bumps hard. She needs to protect her back so her condition doesn't get even worse, and possibly totally debilitating.


I have probably been remiss in not explaining this fully until now.... mostly because Sunshine doesn't talk about it much, so the reason that people haven't been pitching in for this might be my fault because they need to know WHY and what the money will be needed for.

If everyone reading this would just pitch in $5 or $10, we could get her a scooter with a 25" to no more than 27" seat height with big enough tires and roadworthy suspension(she puts a MINIMUM of 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year on scooters).

One thing is sure.... Sunshine is crazy enough about scooters(and they have been her only transportation) that she WILL BE out there on a scooter as soon as she is healed enough, even if she has to cobble together another scoot that Indy on Scootdawg calls a "Frankenscoot". Even if it is entirely unsuitable for her needs and possibly unsafe.

Please folks..... let's keep this crazily passionate about scooters youg lady(mid 20's) out there scooting for the foreseeable future on something that she can ride and handle safely without being crippled by having to ride whatever she could piece together and afford, however unsafe or unsuitable.

We are certainly open to suggestions about any other available models of scoots that might work. Low seat height(25-27") and a comfortable, even plush, seat and suspension is a must. A used Helix or a Helix clone are what came to mind for us, because it has to be about that low in height and have a seat/ride that won't do more damage to her back.
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August 31, 2008
I just got off the phone with Ruth... "Sunshine" to many who know her on various scooter forums.
On August 22nd, she was hit by an uninsured motorist who turned left directly into her 50cc Kymco scooter in Zionsville, IN, a suburb of Indianapolis.
She got a broken leg, with two breaks in ther femur which resulted in a rod and screws in her leg, and a broken wrist. She was taken to the hospital unconscious and has no recollection of the accident. The accident report assigns no blame to the car driver other than a violation for driving on a suspended license. Although theoretically, in Indiana pedestrians have the right of way, for all practical purposes, pedestrians, bicyclists, and apparently, unregulated and unlicensed 50cc scooter riders(considered mopeds in Indiana), are all too often treated as though they are in the roadway "at their own risk".... with no responsibility whatsoever for the driver who hit them, and little chance for recourse without the responsibility having been assigned to the car driver in the accident report.(which it wasn't)
Ruth has no insurance that will pay the medical bills she incurred, a totalled bike, and will have to replace her helmet and armored gear. She had an apartment of her own, but since this happened, the apartment management is allowing her to get out of her lease, but she still has bills that will be coming due, and her mother, who already is taking care of Ruths entirely disabled sister, is taking her in for the duration of her recovery period.
Ruth is concerned about her mom, who just barely has income enough for two people, let alone three, and really feels an obligation to help her mom with food and other expenses(gas she will be burning for Ruth's doctor visits, etc.) as well as paying her own bills and concern for replacing what is her sole mode of transportation, as Ruth is a dedicated and hard core rider.... braving the elemnts like few other people I have known. If you ever see her on a scooter with a "Ride like a Girl" sticker on it, just realize that in her case, that's a challenge that only a few men I know can live up to!
She has no idea yet just what her medical bills will total tor the five days she was in the hospital, including a couple of surgeries, but I know that even a couple hours in the emergency room for traumatic cases such as this, can easily run several thousand dollars or more, without even being admitted. She has ben moved, and is currently in Indianapolis Rehab Hospital 4141 Shore Dr. room #110L Indianapolis, Indiana 46254. Her room phone #(til 9:00PM) is 317-329-2419. Right now it's uncertain just how long she will be there before going to stay with her mom.
I set the initial goal low, compared to what I believe the need is, but the goals can be moved if enerybody kicks in and helps.
Please keep Ruth in your thoughts and prayers, and if you are able, donate something to help her(and her mom) get through this, and for her to be able to get back on the road again when she's able to go back to work, hopefully in three months!
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