Disabled vets chapter needing to raise money to replace transport van totaled in Jan. 4 accident

Disabled vets chapter needing to raise money to replace transport van totaled in Jan. 4 accident

by Cass Rains

Staff Writer

Enid’s Disabled American Veterans chapter will have to foot the bill to replace its van used to transport veterans to Oklahoma City for medical treatment after it was totaled in an accident Jan. 4.

The accident has put the group into a fundraising bind, needing to raise $13,500 by the end of April.“We need some help,” said Mike McCauley, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 66 treasurer. “The only way to replace the vehicle is to buy a new one.”

The early morning accident sent five people to area hospitals, including the group’s hospital transportation coordinator Gary Frank.Since June, Frank said, the van had traveled more than 39,000 miles to take 1,276 veterans to the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Oklahoma City.

DAV officials received the van in June after Enid and area residents and organizations donated money to replace the group’s previous van, which was several years old and had more than 150,000 miles on it.

Major donations came from Northwest Oklahoma Osteopathic Foundation, which gave $3,000, and a woman who wished to remain anonymous who donated $5,000.

Frank said the cost of an average trip to Oklahoma City from the group’s coverage area, which stretches from Okarche to the Kansas state line and from Interstate 35 to Guymon, is about $35.

“It’s a pretty good savings for the veterans,” he said.He said the group transports any veteran who needs medical care. The service is critical for veterans who are on fixed incomes or unable to drive themselves, he said.“There’s a lot of people who wouldn’t get any medical care if we couldn’t help them,” he said.

Veterans Affairs paid for fuel costs and maintenance for the 2007 Ford E 350 van. McCauley said insurance would not cover the cost to replace the van. Chapter 66 has about 400 total members, 200 of whom are considered active.

Frank said the earliest the chapter could purchase and receive another van through Veterans Affairs is June. He said the group was fortunate to have received support from the community in the past.“We put the van they bought us to good use,” he said. “It was just an unfortunate accident.”

According to an Enid Police Department report, Paul Rice, 75, was driving the van south on South 10th about 5:24 a.m. Jan. 4 when he got too close to the shoulder on the west side of the road, hit two bridge barriers and rolled the van onto the driver’s side.

Four of the five passengers in the wreck were treated and released at area hospitals. Bessie Bamburg, 59, remains in intensive care at Integris Bass Baptist Health Center, Frank said.

McCauley and Frank said the group will meet to discuss fundraising options.

Anyone who wishes to donate or help with the purchase of a new van can contact DAV Chapter 66 at 580-242-3808.

The address is

DAV Chapter, 66601 N. 26th Street, Enid, OK 73701

They will appreciate all the donations they receive.

The money is to help replace the van used to take disabled veterans to the VA hospital in OKC.