(Radio Iowa) - Iowans who use wheelchairs to get around can now zip right onto the sandy beach -- or practically anywhere else -- at Big Creek State Park in a motorized track chair that's part wheelchair and part A-T-V.
Chad Kelchen, a parks supervisor with the Iowa D-N-R, says the new Action Trackchair is designed to handle tougher terrain than a typical wheelchair as it has tracks like on a skid loader. Kelchen says the goal is to be able to give everyone access to the beach and tall grass areas. He says park staff had noticed people in wheelchairs sometimes only go as far as the concrete, while the new chair offers complete autonomy.
Its battery charge will last five to seven hours, depending on the terrain. The 20-thousand dollar chair came to Iowa at no charge through a grant program.