Man in his 20s went for simple neck adjustment at chiropractor and ended up with LOCKED-IN syndrome
Jonathan Buckelew, now 34, suffered a life-altering emergency on October 26, 2015, when he was rushed to a Georgia hospital after he seized and became unresponsive during a chiropractic neck adjustment, according to court documents.
Buckelew was sent to North Fulton Hospital, which has since been renamed, where his brain stem stroke went undiagnosed for a day.
The delay left him with locked-in syndrome, a rare neurological condition that leaves the patient completely paralyzed except for their eyes.
Those with the nightmarish condition are aware of their surroundings and can typically hear, but have no way of moving or communicating.
Buckelew sued the chiropractor, the hospital, Dr. Matthew Womack, radiologist James Waldschmidt, and the on-call neurologist Christopher Nickum.
A Fulton County state court found that Womack and Waldschmidt failed to diagnose Buckelew, and he was awarded an unprecedented $75 million in damages.
The Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed the decision in March, slapping Womack with a $40 million medical malpractice verdict.
Buckelew was granted $9 million in past medical expenses, $20 million in future expenses, and $46 million for pain and suffering, according to court documents.
'This case is heartbreaking because Jonathan's paralysis and brain damage were completely avoidable,' Buckelew's attorney, Lloyd Bell, said after the jury ruled in their favor.
'If the slew of healthcare providers involved in Jonathan's care would have acted according to the standard of care, caught and treated his stroke earlier, and communicated more effectively, Jonathan's life would look entirely different.'
Buckelew's life is now completely unrecognizable from before the incident. He was active and played sports, but is now unable to move or speak.
'I really feel like there's no real justice for somebody who lost every aspect of his life,' his father, Jack, told CBS affiliate Atlanta News First.
Jack told the outlet that he and his wife, Janice, have had to completely transform their home to accommodate their son's needs.
He said they made their home into 'an ICU' and keep at least two months worth of medical supplies on hand.
Jack said his family 'feels a lot of pain' after their son's life was halted by the debilitating condition.
'He (Jonathan} wants to do things, he wants to go places - it just breaks our heart to see him like he is,' Jack said, adding that his son's spirit keeps him going.
'There are some days where he's like "pull the plug," so those are the tough days.'
Buckelew can't speak with his family, but he communicates by blinking or using his nose his to type on a keypad.
Bell argued that Buckelew's circumstances were due to the hospital staff's inability to follow procedure.
'The ER doctor saw this patient was having all these signs and symptoms of stroke and never called a stroke alert, and they had policies in place that they were supposed to follow certain protocols to reach the correct diagnosis, and they didn't follow their policies and procedures.'
Womack's appeal was denied by a Georgia court of appeals, but he has appealed again to the state's Supreme Court. Waldschmidt also filed an appeal but later withdrew.
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