BILLINGS – The Iron Warriors, a local motorcycle club teamed up with Action Outside and Hell’s-A-Roarin Outfitters to provide a new track chair for Wade Bomar, a firefighter who was injured 30 years ago. The injury caused him to become paraplegic.
Jana Swenson, whose husband Jeff is also paraplegic, worked with her father-in-law, Tim Swenson, to create actionoutside and actiontrackchair after he designed and built a tracker chair. Tim works the manufacturing side (Action Tracker), while Jana travels the country to help facilitate and provide the chairs to people in need of one (Action Outside).
Tim and Donna Swenson created Action Trackchair in 2009, 11 years after Jeff was paralyzed in an automobile accident. He turned his hobby shop into a manufacturing shop, and by 2014, 1900 track chairs had been built. Now, the business averages 500 chairs a year, many that are purchased by non-profit groups that help provide the chairs to those in need.
What began as a desire to help their son has grown into a global endeavor helping thousands of people with mobility-related disabilities.
Retired Miles City police officer Scott Zeitner nominated Bomar for a chance to receive the chair.
Bomar is a member of the Iron Warriors Motorcycle Club. He also is an avid fisherman and enjoys hunting bear, antelope and birds.
The group met up today at 11:45 and rode to Bomar’s home to surprise him with the new chair.
Track chairs are all-terrain wheelchairs with tracks that make it easier to travel over rough terrain.
Reporting by Niki Porter for MTN News
