Clean getaway for teen’s crutches

By Paul Dunlop
A TEENAGER with a broken leg was left without his crutches after they were stolen from a carwash in Pakenham.
Tooradin woman Fran Genoni had cleaned her car in town last week and left her son’s crutches by the commercial vacuum cleaner.
Forgetting to put the crutches in the car, she drove home.
Mrs Genoni said when she realised the crutches were missing, she went back to the carwash only to find they were no longer there.
Mrs Genoni said footage from a surveillance camera at the carwash showed a couple placing her son Luke’s crutches into the boot of their car.
“I had vacuumed my car at 9.15 am on Monday, 3 April and placed the crutches next to the vacuum cleaner,” she said.
“Forgetting to place the crutches back in my car I drove home.
“At 10am this couple has taken off with my son’s crutches. I hope they never find their family in need of these crutches.”
Mrs Genoni said her son spent the day in a wheelchair at school because of his broken leg.
“It was pretty sad for me to pick him up from school and having to tell him his crutches had been stolen,” she said.
Mrs Genoni said her faith in human nature was at least partially restored by staff at Casey Hospital at Berwick.
“They organised a new set of crutches for us,” she said.
“Thanks to hospital staff for their help, no thanks to the couple who stole my son’s own crutches.”