Wheelchair Romeo, 67, in 130-mile trip gets the push

Published on Monday 24 August 2009 22:16

A GERMAN pensioner who travelled 130 miles in his wheelchair to propose marriage to his elderly girlfriend ended up being rescued by police after his offer was spurned.

The 67-year-old pushed himself in his wheelchair from Minden to Salzwedel in a bid to win the hand and heart of a 66-year-old widow he had met on holiday.

The journey took four days – but in two minutes he was told he was wasting his time.

On his lonely trek home, he spied a field of maize and feeling hungry, decided to nibble on a corn-cob or two.

Unfortunately, his wheelchair caught in a rut and sent him flying.

He called police with his mobile telephone and they got him back on the road.

Guido Koch, a Salzwedel police spokesman, said: "He didn't have a lot of luck. Not even in the cornfield – it was for animal feed and totally inedible for humans.

"We offered him a lift home but he refused. He said he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He must have immense upper body strength."