Secure Solutions Enterprise, LLC.
A Nebraska Based Business
Owned & Managed by:
Sean Schroll, Bob Walters, Jim Rasmussen , Dr. Shane Farritor
Ravenna, NE 68869
308-258-7938
I. Problem & Product Solution
Value Proposition
A radically new wheelchair lift & load system for the transportation industry which eliminates existing possibilities for injury to passenger & operator, has potential to lower insurance & liability costs, and allows for increased transportation capacity.
Industry Standard Lift System & Process
At the present time there is very little variation in the nature and type of wheelchair restraint systems in use by organizations and individuals providing transportation services to the disabled in the U.S. All systems currently in use nationally share in common the same set of steps and procedures of operation. In this process the operator of the lift and vehicle loads, secures, and unloads the client in a wheelchair (the passenger) into and out of the vehicle. (see loading & unloading instructional video)
Nearly all systems are essentially composed of a mechanical lift and a tie down system to secure the chair and passenger. Inherent in the process of loading and unloading there are a large number of opportunities for severe injury to both the passenger and the individual operator. Injury can occur from the time the wheelchair is placed on the lift in the down (loading position), to the up position, and from the time the client is wheeled from the up position into the vehicle or (entry) where the wheelchair is restrained with a 3-point or a 4-point tie down system, which is required prior to movement of the vehicle. A number of concerns are evident. At the same time, the transporting individual and his or her employer becomes exposed to potentially devastating liability and is at risk of significant bodily injury as well.
Liability Costs, Training & Time
In today’s transportation industry, liability is without a doubt, the single greatest issue of concern to a company. Increasingly, firms providing transportation services are being sued due to accidental or careless injury to wheelchair accessible clients. Costs for the appropriate liability coverage have risen so high it is becoming prohibitive for new companies to begin business. Further, insurance costs are creating a drag on many existing businesses in this industry.
There are two other important sources of increased costs associated with the use of the standard system. Operators must receive extensive training to properly use the transportation lift properly and the loading/unloading process for each passenger takes a great deal of time. Both add costs to transportation businesses, which if nullified will increase the potential labor pool, reduce training time and costs, and increase the capacity of the number of transportations per day a fleet can make.
Illustrative of the above problems, the ‘Process Detail’ below outlines the entire loading and unloading procedure associated with the use of the current technology and the resultant nature and cause of potential injuries.
Solution
Mr. Schroll has developed a new lift system which drastically reduces the potential for injury, is easier to operate and takes less time to load/unload a passenger than any product on the market now. It is anticipated that this product will provide additional protection from a liability standpoint to all parties involved in the transportation of persons with disabilities and temporarily injured individuals that are in the recovery phase of an injury, ailment, disease or sickness. Specifically, the passenger transportation companies and the insurance carriers will benefit from this product in ways that has the potential to save their companies hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Bodily Injury and Liability to both the transporting individual and to the individual in a wheelchair by simply securing the client in the load position (down position) onto an ADA approved manufactured slide platform tracking system (Kit). The client is secured while in motion to the up position, and the client is secure from the up position to the vehicle entry position. At that point, the platform is locked into the tracking system and ready for transport; essentially eliminating all of the above mentioned potential loading and transporting risks. The platform tracking system is mounted onto the existing lift and in the vehicle (as a kit). The platform (part of the kit) is equipped with all the necessary ADA requirements necessary for restraining the wheelchair and the client securely (as if the client and wheelchair is restrained in transport position).
Process Detail
The following is a systematic description of the specific steps involved in loading, unloading and transporting the passenger:
1. In order to distribute the weight of the passenger in the wheelchair as practical as possible, the wheelchair is usually backed onto the platform lift, which allows for the lift to be utilized to its fullest lifting potential. Most lifts carry a capacity from 600 to 800 pounds.
- Harm or bodily injury can occur to the operator during this procedure. The operator is necessarily placed in a position where the operators’ back is up against the van, and his / her feet and ankles are up against, or very near, the platform’s front stop. Thus, risk of ankle or back injury exists.
- Once the passenger is loaded onto the platform, the wheelchair brakes are applied. The operator must then step from behind the wheelchair, around to the front and side, to access the mechanical lift remote. Again, ankle and / or back injury can occur during this transition.
- Next, the platform is raised. In a vast majority of transports, the only thing securing the wheelchair to the platform, are the wheelchairs brakes. An exception to applying the brakes may occur when transporting a motorized wheelchair. In this instance, the motorized wheelchair is placed in its park position. During the lifting stage, a number of potential hazards arise.
i. The operator can improperly apply the brakes; and the potential exists that the operator may forget to apply the brakes entirely.
ii. While in motion to the raised position, the client can inadvertently move forward or backwards; raising the potential for the wheelchair to shift or flip off of the lift platform completely.
- At this point, operator is at ground level, and the passenger is in the up position; between chest and waist high to the operator. The operator then enters the vehicle, thereby leaving the client in a vulnerable, raised position for an unspecified amount of time.
- Next, the operator will disengage the wheelchair brakes and proceed to wheel the chair into the vehicle. Once again, the risk of bodily injury to either the individual in the wheelchair or the transporting individual exists. Bodily injury can range from ankle sprains and bruising to severe back, neck and shoulder injuries that can and do occur from being in a confined space, from twisting or maneuvering in awkward positions or from pulling and/or lifting practices that are currently required at times to complete the loading and unloading procedure.
- The next step involves maneuvering the wheelchair bound individual into position to accommodate for proper wheelchair and client safety restraining. This process can be timely and it can be dangerous to the transporting individual. It can be somewhat invasive to the person with the disability as well, due to insufficient room to allow for the transporting client to secure restraints.
i. This step minimizes the number of individuals that are capable of transporting persons in wheelchairs due to their height, weight, age, or health. This results in decreased driver availability, and decreased accessibility to persons with disabilities. Individuals that may be excellent drivers and have excellent skills of working with persons in wheelchairs, become ineligible to transport these clients.
The potential for improperly restraining the wheelchair or the client due to lack of room does exist. Once again, potential for bodily injury exists. Should there be need for a sudden stop, or a sharp turn to avoid an accident, the client may be flipped or thrown from the improperly applied restraints.
As I have demonstrated, the current procedure for transport of an individual in a wheelchair carries an extremely high amount of risk and liability to all involved. The individual in the wheelchair, the transporting individual, the transporting company or organization, the insurance companies for both parties, and the families of all involved.
Conclusion
The high cost of insurance, the additional time per transport, equipment limitations, the additional training necessary to properly transport a person with a disability and the additional costs associated with transporting persons with disabilities. Based on each of the above discussed factors, a product has been developed that addresses each of these challenges and minimizes or eliminates an issue.
Target Market
Primary Market Driver: Transportation Companies
This device should prove to be extremely beneficial to transportation companies in the industry of transporting persons with disabilities that are in wheelchairs. Objective of the platform tracking system is to increase safety, decrease load time, decrease maneuver time, decrease unload time, minimize or eliminate injury to the passenger and or the driver, insure proper security of the wheelchair and passenger from the time the client is loaded onto the platform until the client is unloaded from the platform. At no time should there be a point of insecurity before, during or after a wheelchair passenger transport. Commercial Liability for this form of specialized transportation is extremely costly. Many insurance companies choose not to insure wheelchair transport companies due to the extremely high liability exposure. The platform tracking system has the potential to revolutionize the wheelchair transport process by filling the safety voids between the process of raising a client from ground level to vehicle entry height and securing the client to the vehicle.
The potential is there for insurance companies to offer discounted rates for those companies that utilize the platform tracking system within their wheelchair accessible van fleets. As we are all well aware, insurance is a critical element in any business, the same is true within the transportation industry.
Attorney fees should drop dramatically for liability defense. Workers Compensation claims should decrease dramatically due to the minimal amount of physical labor involved.
Profits should increase due to the decreased loading, maneuvering and unloading time.
Actual driving accidents and incidents should decrease due to the fact the driver will have the confidence know his or her wheelchair client is secure, and is not exhausted after picking up a wheelchair passenger.
Companies will be able to potentially enter into other markets of transportation just by having the platform tracking system in their vehicles. Examples: Courier, transporting heavy medical equipment that needs to be secured while loading, unloading and transporting.
Additionally, the ease of the system should open up employment opportunities to individuals that maybe could not have been able to perform the task due to his or her size or some other limiting physical factor or factors.
The training process will be easier for a transportation company that transports wheelchair passengers. Better platform and wheelchair accessibility. No getting in and out of the wheelchair accessible van and leaving a passenger unattended for any length of time. User friendly clearly labeled controllers. There will be clearly marked areas of potential pinching points. There will be an instruction manual and video for all drivers to have access to.
Cost to purchase the tracking system is easily justified when factoring in all angles of protection provided by this one unit.
Secondary Market Driver: Organizations
Having been in the commercial passenger transportation industry since 1997, Sean Schroll has been fortunate enough to be able to work with numerous organizations that are actively involved in some way in wheelchair accessible transportation. The following are examples of organizations, agencies or facilities that have required transportation for an individual needing specialized transportation:
v The Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services
v Area Agency on Aging
v League of Human Dignity
v Dialysis Centers
v Hospitals
v Goodwill Industries
v Workman’s Compensation
v Insurance Companies
v Counseling Agencies
v Law enforcement agencies
v Churches
v Nursing Homes
v Assisted Living Facilities
v Center for Independent Living
v Vocational Rehabilitation
v Personal use, private citizens with a disabled family member
The platform can also be used as a transfer seat. Example a seat is mounted to the platform. An elderly person or a person that can transfer to a seat from a wheelchair would be able to transfer to the seat mounted on the platform, seat belted and secured into the vehicle. For many elderly individuals, it is extremely difficult for them to transfer to a van, car or basically any vehicle. Just overcoming one step up into any vehicle can be a huge obstacle and there is a high risk of injury in that transfer process.
Stakeholders
Primary Stakeholder: Passengers
First and foremost, this product is designed for the safety of the passenger. In today’s wheelchair industry the client’s general safety is focused on primarily two areas. They are as follows:
1. The wheelchair lift. The wheelchair lift is a platform and lift system designed solely for the purpose of elevating a passenger in a wheelchair from ground level to the entry level of a wheel chair accessible vehicle.
2. The wheelchair securing devices: The wheelchair securing devices are designed to secure the wheelchair to the wheelchair accessible transport vehicle. This is primarily accomplished with the 4-point tie down technique. Basically, once the wheelchair passenger is manually positioned inside the vehicle, the securing system is enforced. This consists of applying 4 seatbelt like straps from 4 secure corners of the wheel chair, which are attached securely to 4 corner locations on the wheelchair van floor.
Each of the above mentioned processes are critical, and require a considerable amount of time, patience, strength, awareness and dexterity. At times a persons size can hamper the task of making sure that the proper tension is placed on the restraints, leaving the passenger at risk of a potentially significant injury.
A number of things need to be considered from the standpoint of a passenger in a wheelchair. First, the actual driving onto a platform is a process in itself. Whether the wheelchair is motorized or non-motorized is the first obvious consideration. Manual or non-motorized wheelchairs are pretty standard and with assistance from the driver can be maneuvered onto the platform lift fairly easily. Once in place, the only securing device holding the wheelchair in place for the raising process is application of the brakes on the actual wheelchair itself. Keep in mind, that this is a process that can be forgotten, and does not secure the wheelchair to the platform itself. Several factors can make the raising process extremely uncomfortable for the passenger. The wind, the weight, the instability of the lift, a slippery platform due to moisture, lack of attention from the driver, slope of vehicle, and being afraid of heights are just a few of the obvious fears of a passenger in a wheelchair being raised from ground level to vehicle entry height.
Another scenario from a wheelchair passenger point of view that utilizes a motorized wheelchair is the initial backing onto the platform lift. This can be extremely intimidating right from the start, which can make each additional step to follow very difficult just from being flustered. Keep in mind, there a numerous wheelchair passengers that are fairly new to their motorized wheelchair and are not fully comprehensive of the control functions. Thus, at any time, the potential is there for accidentally or even purposely hitting a control that could injure his or herself, or the driver working to accomplish the loading task. An accidental brush of one of the controllers can lead to an accident at any time outside or inside the vehicle, on or off the platform. In addition, many of the motorized wheelchairs are very different in design. This creates some confusion as to where to apply the security devices once in the vehicle. Many of the designs give minimal options for a secure application that can be reached without some form of awkward positioning from the applying driver and some of the positions can be somewhat invasive to the wheelchair client.
Lastly, keep in mind that many clients have no way of communicating their thoughts or feelings to the transporter. Additionally, many clients have little or no physical feeling in their extremities. A client could potentially be in the process of being injured while the transporter is maneuvering the client into position, yet the client has no way of communicating to the transporter that he or she is being injured or, the wheelchair client may have been injured during the maneuvering process and did not know it, injury only to be found later by a family member, Dr., or caregiver etc…
Secondary Stakeholder: Vehicle & Lift Operators
Second, the transporter that actually physically is responsible for maneuvering, securing and transporting a passenger that is in a wheelchair and is actually responsible for the passenger’s safety.
Watching the actual process of a person being transported that is in a wheelchair can be extremely misleading. From a visual point of view, it appears to be a very straightforward process. Wheel the passenger onto the wheelchair lift, push a button and raise the lift, wheel the passenger into position, apply transport security restraints, transport client to destination and reverse the process.
In a vast majority of transports, this is not the case. There is a reason it is classified as “specialized transportation”. For a lot of this section, you can refer to number one (the passenger being transported in the wheelchair) and view from a driver or transporter perspective.
In addition, injury to the transporting driver can happen in several different phases of the loading and unloading of a wheelchair passenger. Why? Well, for several reasons. The wheelchair passenger size can require an extreme amount of physical labor and exertion from a driver. Not only can the client’s size be a factor, many of today’s motorized wheelchairs and scooters are extremely heavy and awkward as well. Back injuries, strains and pulled muscles are not uncommon.
A driver’s size can actually eliminate him or her from being a wheelchair transporter. They could meet all the necessary requirements to be a wheelchair transporter, but their size could be the limiting factor. In many cases, there just is not enough room for a wheelchair client and a large transporter. There just is not enough room to properly restrain the wheelchair to the vehicle. With the wheelchair tracking system, opportunities to become a transporter for wheelchair clients could open up. At the same time, employers will be able to have a far broader selection of individuals that have the capabilities to be wheelchair transporters.
The amount of time and energy exerted can take its toll on a driver, not only physically, but mentally as well. Remember, once the task of loading, maneuvering and securing is complete, there is still the task of driving the wheelchair client safely to their destination. The easier and less timely the loading, maneuvering and unloading process, the less the stress placed on the transporter.
A driver needs the confidence in knowing that the wheelchair client that he or she is transporting is comfortable, secure and safe while riding with them. Sudden turns and stops happen, and many times cannot be avoided. The last thing the driver needs to worry about is tipping over their wheelchair client. The driver could make the perfect driving adjustment to avoid an accident, and end up with a client on the floor due to improper wheelchair securing.
Several Questions will be asked and answered, and several trials and studies will be conducted in order to assure that the platform tracking system meets all levels of ADA, OSHA, DOT, and Transportation Safety Guidelines set forth by all State & Federal transportation governing agencies. In addition, meet the needs of the passengers, clients, drivers and companies that will actually be utilizing the tracking system. At this time, research is being conducted to research all governing bodies that have standards that the tracking must meet so that questioning and testing can begin with actual wheelchair passengers and wheelchair transporters. Note: Additional Liability and Claim Research to come.
A typical commercial liability insurance policy for vans with a seating capacity up to 15 passengers requires a $1,500,000 in coverage as required by the Nebraska Public Service Commission. For vehicles exceeding 15 passengers, $5,000,000 of liability coverage is required. In our case, $1,500,000 worth of coverage on a non-wheelchair accessible van with a seating capacity less than 15 costs between $1,597 for vans located in rural locations to $2,256 annually for vans located in the Omaha and Lincoln metro locations. Liability coverage in the amount of $1,500,000 for wheelchair accessible vans in rural locations costs $1,856 more or 116% more for the same coverage as a non-wheelchair accessible vehicle. Costs for Omaha and Lincoln liability insurance for wheelchair accessible vans is $1,197 more or 53% more for the same coverage as a non-wheelchair accessible vehicle. As the numbers show, the cost to insure a wheelchair accessible vehicle ranges from 53% to 116% higher than the cost to insure a non-wheelchair accessible vehicle. These are very significant numbers relative to business operations. Note, these numbers are based on a company that has a very good loss ratio.
Potential Other Markets
Commercial Companies or Independent Contractors
The immediate focus is on passenger transportation. However, the uses for the tracking system can and will be able to adapt to many different uses for many different industries.
The following are just a few examples:
· Electricians
· Plumbers
· Courier Services
· Farmers
· Office Equipment & Suppliers
· Medical Equipment & Suppliers
· Feed Companies
· Vet
· Newspaper & Magazine Delivery Services
· Vendors
· Factories
This product can be adapted to work with nearly any industry that involves and needs a sliding platform that can be used manually or mechanically.
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