Trafalgar Officer Dustin Moody and his family pose with their new accessible van at Superior Van & Mobility in Indianapolis on Tuesday. The Moody family were gifted the van by Carver Toyota in Columbus.
Submitted photo
A Trafalgar police officer who was critically injured while on duty last summer was gifted a wheelchair-accessible van.
Dustin Moody was injured in June last year when he go into a car crash while pursuing an impaired driver in Trafalgar. He went through months of rehabilitation in Chicago last year, and returned home to his wife, Emily, and two young children in December.
Moody is paralyzed from the waist down, and the family has needed an accessible van since he moved back late last year. They received news in February that they would be gifted one by a nearby car dealership in Columbus.
Following his accident, the Trafalgar community and different organizations rallied to support Moody and help raise money for his family. Uplift Johnson County joined with Central Indiana Police Foundation to raise money to gift Moody a new van and help give him and his family a new start.
On Tuesday, the family was gifted a van at Superior Van & Mobility on the south side of Indianapolis. Carver Toyota in Columbus donated the van that was converted for wheelchair accessibility by BraunAbility.
The finished BraunAbility Toyota Hybrid arrived at Superior Van & Mobility’s Indianapolis location, where the final customized fittings for Moody were completed. Installation of Q-Straint retractables will ensure Moody’s wheelchair is secure while he’s in the vehicle.
Wendy McClellen, executive director of UpLift Johnson County, in a statement thanked those who supported Moody in these last few months.
“Thank you to all of those who donated, shared social media posts, and told friends and family about Officer Moody. We especially want to thank Carver Toyota of Columbus and BraunAbility for their donation and hard work to customize this van for exactly what the Moodys needed,” McClellen said.
