Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
SANDY — A stolen car is always bad news, but it was even worse news for an SUV owner who also recently suffered a life-changing injury.
Jared Potter discovered on Dec. 10 that his 2016 Toyota 4Runner Limited had vanished.
"We woke up and we noticed my vehicle was stolen from the driveway," Potter said.
He was in disbelief, especially after the past couple of months he'd had.
"It just kind of was like, 'What the heck' — Who steals a car from a guy who just got paralyzed?" he said.
Five days earlier, on Oct. 5, Potter was paragliding in the Draper area when he crashed.
"Unfortunately, I got myself into a position that led to me basically getting into an accident," he said Wednesday during an interview with KSL-TV. "That broke my left femur in half, as well as led to a spinal cord injury."
Potter said the current prognosis from his doctors is that he will never walk again. He was just in the process of moving to a more accessible apartment at the time the theft took place.
Potter said his 4Runner has a cargo rack on top and a white TRD skid plate on the bottom with license plate number U397AK. He urged anyone with information on the vehicle's whereabouts to contact the Sandy City Police Department at 801-799-3000.
"I hope that karma is going to treat him well after this," Potter said of the thief.
Friends set up a GoFundMe* account to help Potter with expenses going forward, including transitioning into a new vehicle.
"When it rains, it pours I guess," Potter said. "I don't know what else is going to come at me."
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
