Phoenix athlete’s wheelchair recovered in Ohio
CINCINNATI (AP) – The family of a Paralympic track athlete says his custom-built, $5,000 wheelchair has been recovered about a week after it was stolen.
Erik Hightower’s racing chair had disappeared from a truck that was parked outside a hospital east of downtown Cincinnati. The Phoenix-area man had been visiting family in Bethel after racing in Indianapolis.
His family members tell WLWT-TV Tuesday that the chair turned up at a local shelter.
His mother Deb Hightower says the specialty chair was found along with her son’s track bag.
Erik Hightower had compared the wheelchair to a high-end bicycle that was designed for him. He had said it only would have had value to someone else if they sold it as scrap. The chair had been his for one month.