For Jonathan Barnes, the specialty van he needs is now even harder to find.
For the Barnes family, getting around with their son is not what it used to be.
“I think the hardest thing is knowing that we can’t you know, take care of Jonathan the way we normally take care of him,” said his mom, Victoria Barnes.
Jonathan, 34, is blind, suffers from cerebral palsy, and uses a wheelchair. Three weeks ago, a driver smashed into his specially equipped Chrysler Pacifica van.
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Jonathan’s dad Joe was alone behind the wheel, trying to make a left on Kendall Drive and SW 94th Avenue.
“He hit me right between the front door, on the doorpost to the middle door, the sliding door on the van and bent that, which totaled the van,” Joe Barnes explained.
No one was seriously hurt, but now, Jonathan doesn’t have a proper ride. Finding a replacement has been rough.
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“We’re looking at the inventory, and it’s slim,” said Victoria. “It’s kinda crazy out there.”
During the pandemic, a shortage of computer chips has been blamed for slowing down auto production around the world, making a hard-to-find van even harder to find.
“It’s only the Chrysler Pacifica and the Chrysler Voyager that can do this center-lift type thing right now because of the way the cars are being built,” Victoria explained.
But she and her family are not giving up hope.
“God willing, we’ll find that car," she said.
