Over a year ago, Cédric and Aurélie’s car was downgraded following an accident. Since then, they have been impatiently awaiting the delivery of their new vehicle. However, the delays in delivery are beginning to undermine their morale as well as that of their children. Cédric is in a wheelchair, his car must be adapted to his handicap. While waiting for his arrival, this father is confined to his home.
On June 19, 2021, Cédric and Aurélie’s car adapted for PMR (Persons with Reduced Mobility) was completely destroyed when it was hit by a drunk driver. Since then, the lives of Cédric, Aurélie and their two children have been destroyed. “My insurance compensated me directly so we were able to recommend a new car straight away. Delivery was scheduled for February 2022, it was then postponed to April, then to August and now we don’t. won’t be before October. In addition, it takes another month to adapt the car to my husband’s handicap”explains Aurélie.
An accident with unexpected consequences
If delivery delays are problematic in normal times, they are even more so when the car is the only way to go on family outings: “When the car was in an accident, we had to cancel our holidays with the children, Eléa and Manoa, they were 5 and 6 years old at the time and were looking forward to the holidays. We also had to cancel the trip to Disneyland which was planned with the my husband’s sister and the children. We can no longer go out with my husband without an adapted car. All he can do is walk with the children in the village”.
Cédric therefore undergoes prolonged confinement which undermines his morale and that of the children. “They said that they wanted a second dad who walks because with their dad, we no longer knew how to go on family outings”says Aurélie. “They take the situation badly. They are old enough to realize what is happening but not yet old enough not to blame their dad for the situation”.
Take the kids and go on vacation without me
This situation weighs heavily on this whole family, according to Aurélie, her husband is often in tears. This year, the holidays had to be canceled again because of the postponement of delivery of the vehicle. “He told me ‘Take the kids and go on vacation without me’he said it in tears, in front of the children”, explains the mother. But, leaving without her husband is not easy either, Cédric suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, so he has no strength in his limbs and moves around in an electric chair: “He doesn’t know how to move from the chair to the bed, for example. So I will prepare all the meals in advance and a nurse will come and take care of him”.
Delivery times impacted by covid
Unfortunately for Cédric and Aurélie, the garage from which they ordered their new car has no solution to offer them. “We can’t deliver the cars because we don’t have the electrical components. A car is made up of 150 to 180 electrical components and if even one is missing, the vehicle can’t leave. the parking”, explains a member of the garage. This employee, who wished to remain anonymous, says the delays can range from two months to a year.
The production of components depends on China, whose coronavirus management policy does nothing to fix the situation: “As soon as they have a case of coronavirus they confine the whole province and if an industry has the misfortune to be in this province: all production is stopped”, explains the member of the garage. Faced with these delivery problems, there is no possibility of prioritizing certain orders, as our source explains: “We have the same problem with stock cars, replacement cars and staff cars”.
An accident with a parked car may seem harmless, but it can destroy a life.
Aurélie and Cédric will therefore have to wait until October, they do not want the garage which is “totally helpless in the face of delays in the delivery of new vehicles and even more so in front of us”, as Aurélie wrote to us. She wanted to tell us her story so that people who read it learn one thing: “An accident with a parked car may seem harmless, but it can destroy a life.”