I am a former active duty Marine and certified police officer who works for a local law enforcement agency in Beaufort County, SC.

I encountered Mr. Hansel Reed while I was on the way home from work Friday, December 18th.  He was walking on the side of a dangerous stretch of heavily traveled two-lane road in Burton when I offered him a ride out of a concern for his safety.  Mr. Reed had been trying to walk to a doctor in the next town (Port Royal) to have his injured right shoulder evaluated.  The walk would have taken him at least two hours and he decided he was going to try again on the following Monday.  While talking to Mr. Reed, I learned that he was involved in a moped accident in November when he fell from his moped on wet pavement and that is how his shoulder became injured (I was able to verify this was indeed the case).   He is able to use his right arm only as long as he keeps it below shoulder level.  Unfortunately his job is physically strenuous and requires the ability to place his hands and arms above his head quite frequently.

I asked Mr. Reed about why he was walking and he informed me that the company that towed his moped after the accident was charging a significant daily storage fee, one that he simply cannot afford.  I subsequently called the tow company in question myself and learned that as of this date (12/21/15) that the tow bill, storage fee and other assorted fees are now at around $1,750.00 total and climbing daily.  At this point it would literally be cheaper to buy a brand new moped than it would be to pay off the fees associated with the towing of Mr. Reed’s old moped.  The person I spoke to at the tow company told me they have already filed to get title to the old moped as it is.

On top of all this, Mr. Reed needs an MRI and is now on temporary disability from his job due to the injury.  Mr. Reed desperately wants to have his shoulder attended to and is eager to get back to work full-time.  I have verified that Mr. Reed is as he appears to be: a genuinely nice, hard working man who caught a hard break.  I would like to join with the kind people of the internet and local community to help him turn that around just in time for Christmas.  The purpose of this campaign is as follows:

All money will first go directly toward the purchase of either a new or very good condition moped for Mr. Reed to have reliable transportation to work and/or doctor’s appointments.  I will assist Mr. Reed in purchasing the moped and will transport it to his residence at my own expense, with the remainder of the money going directly to him to help with the purchase of his household needs and medical expenses.  The campaign ends when the goal is met.  I would love to be able to go call him up on Christmas and tell him that it’s time to go looking for a reliable moped.

During all my interactions with Mr. Reed, he never asked me for anything.  His attitude was and remains that “if God wants everything to be alright, it will be”.  He had never even heard of Gofundme, but when I told him what it was and asked him if he minded me giving it a try, he beamed and said “Oh, I would love that! I would love to have some help and get another moped!” Please help make this a reality.

https://www.gofundme.com/mnfw3gfw