A Kelowna man is asking for help from the community to cover the remaining costs of his replacement wheelchair-accessible van after his original vehicle was stolen and badly damaged earlier this year.
Drew Derosier, 29, has cerebral palsy and relies on a power wheelchair. He used his modified 2020 Toyota Sienna to get to work at Home Depot in West Kelowna and to live independently.
The van was stolen from the parking lot of his apartment building on Benvoulin Road around 3:30 a.m. on May 24. Doorbell camera footage from a neighbouring building captured it being taken.
Two weeks later, the RCMP found the van in Oliver, B.C. — but it had been severely damaged.
“It was so bad that they had stuck used needles into the seat and into all the cushions,” Derosier said. “So when they went to clean it... it didn't matter how much they cleaned it, the cushions still came back positive for drug residue.”
The van was declared unsafe to use, and Derosier was left without transportation.
“I was without a van for several months,” he said.
ICBC eventually provided $70,000 to help cover the cost of a replacement vehicle.
“I went through a big rigmarole with ICBC to get part of a new van covered. That took several months to figure all that out,” he said. “I ended up getting $70,000 from them and this new one still cost me over $76,000.”
Derosier was able to find a used van that closely matches the one he lost, but he is $6,000 short.
“It would mean a whole heck of a lot because I don't have $6,000 to drop,” he said. “This community is amazing. I am really, really thankful for their help.”
A new GoFundMe has been launched to help raise the remaining funds.
