Man's horror ‘locked in' syndrome after error
Jonathan Buckelew, 34, has been awarded a staggering $75 million (AU $116 million) in damages after multiple physicians failed to diagnose his life-threatening stroke, leaving him paralysed from head to toe for the rest of his life.
Jonathan was rushed to North Fulton Hospital on October 26, 2015, after falling unconscious during a chiropractic neck adjustment, New York Post reported.
Despite the emergency response, almost every physician who came into contact failed to clock Jonathan's stroke.
Their lackadaisical care led the patient in his mid-20s to develop horrific locked-in syndrome, leaving him unable to move or talk despite having full consciousness.
'This case is heartbreaking because Jonathan's paralysis and brain damage were completely avoidable,' said Jonathan's lawyer, Lloyd Bell, in a statement made following the Georgia Court of Appeals' decision to uphold a verdict in their favour last March.
'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.'
The Buckelews sued the chiropractor, the hospital, Dr. Matthew Womack, radiologist James Waldschmidt and neurologist Christopher Nickum for their failure to catch Jonathan's stroke — the rapid treatment of which could have prevented his tragic outcome.
A Fulton County state court found Womack and Waldschmidt guilty of malpractice, ordering the former to hand over $40 million. Jonathan was ultimately awarded $29 million in past and future medical expenses and $46 million for pain and suffering, per court documents.
Jonathan is now restricted to communication through eye movements and a keypad that he manages to use with his nose.
His parents, Jack and Janice, have turned their home into a 24-hour care centre for their debilitated son.
'I really feel like there's no real justice for somebody who lost every aspect of his life,' Jack, told CBS affiliate Atlanta News First.
'He wants to do things, he wants to go places — it just breaks our heart to see him like he is,' the desperate father continued.
'There are some days where he's like 'pull the plug,' so those are the tough days.'
Jonathan's counsel has blamed the hospital staff for not following standard 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,' Bell said.
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