Stump driving

If NASCAR ever introduces an angle similar to the Paralympics, Michael Francis Wiley may become a hero. For now, though, he’s just another uniped stewing in a Florida prison with a list of traffic violations as long as the one extremity he still has.

Having lost a leg and both arms in a childhood accident, the 40-year-old New Port Richey man taught himself to drive using his remaining toes, knee, teeth and stumps. Driving well, however, was more of a challenge, resulting in repeated licence suspensions. But having no licence wasn’t a deterrent to Wiley. Even after spending three years in jail for driving without a licence, Wiley insisted on climbing back behind the wheel, which is where police found him as they cruised by a convenience store this past May.

As officers approached, Wiley nudged his vehicle into gear and sped off. Hesitant to have an armless man manoeuvre his way through a high-speed chase, police opted for picking Wiley up at home later that day. Wiley’s tenacity, and repeated drug infractions, earned him a fresh five-year sentence, but he insists he’s done with driving, explaining that, “You can only bang your head against the wall so long.”

by Scott Saxon