VANCOUVER An expensive medical hoist made for a wheelchair user has been found, after being stolen from a parking lot in Delta. It was one of the items taken by thieves who are believed to have broken into the underground area of a condominium building on River Road on Dec. 15, using a stolen fob. Surveillance footage shows a green Ford F150 leaving during the night with stolen goods inside. The hoist belongs to Delta resident Mike Hamill, who is paralyzed from the chest down. Hamill, who created a GoFundMe page to pay for a replacement hoist, posted an update saying that the frame had been located, but was stripped of important pieces.
The custom wheelchair hoist/Andrea Christian
The hoist was stolen during the early morning hours of Tuesday, December 15, According to strata security footage, access was gained to the parking garage by using a stolen fob.
The footage showed two people wandering around the parking garage on foot, then returning a short time later in a pick-up truck.
Mike Hamill (pictured front, centre)/Andrea Christian
And while the hoist has now been located in Surrey, it has been stripped of all of its components.
It’s not all bad news, though, as a GoFundMe created for Hamill raised enough funds to rebuild to hoist.
Dec172020, 3:21 pm
A specially-designed wheelchair hoist belonging to a man who is paraplegic was stolen from an underground parking garage at an apartment building in Ladner earlier this week.
The hoist belongs to Mike Hamill, a Tsawwassen gym owner and celebrity trainer, who has worked with the likes of Clint Eastwood. Hamill was involved in a boating accident three years ago that broke his back in three different places.
The custom-made hoist was designed as a tool to assist Hamill in getting both himself and his wheelchair onto boats. It was stolen during the early morning hours of Tuesday, December 15.
Grinch in pickup steals hoist from wheelchair user bc.ctvnews.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bc.ctvnews.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Posted: Dec 17, 2020 9:39 PM PT | Last Updated: December 18, 2020
Mike Hamill is seen testing a custom hoist made for him by friends so he can get into his boat next summer but the hoist was stolen this week from his home in Ladner, B.C.(Mike Hamill)