Accident Changes Teenager’s Life Forever
The effects of a spinal cord injury are known far and wide. Despite the debilitating consequences of a serious back injury, many people in Jefferson, Colorado, do not realize how easy they are to acquire. All it takes for a spinal cord injury to occur is a car accident, something that left one 17-year-old man paralyzed from the neck down. Unlike many others, he did not let the accident make him give up on living — he instead started a foundation hoping to help others like himself.
The accident that changed the now 23-year-old’s life happened more than five years ago. He was driving a truck that was transporting handicapped-accessible bathroom doors to a restaurant that his family’s company was remodeling. While driving, he swerved to miss debris in the road and lost control of the vehicle, flipping it four times.
Emergency services brought him to the hospital, where physicians determined that he was paralyzed. Instead of letting this get him down, the former athlete who could bench press 300 pounds at one time chose to persevere. He had plans of going to college and playing baseball but those hopes had been dashed instantly by his accident. Instead, he eventually began attending school and continues to work out 15 to 20 hours per week.
The foundation he started managed to convince a local gym owner to open up enough space to have another group come in with specialized equipment for people with spinal cord injuries. Known as Project Walk, the organization provides expensive equipment so that people who are paralyzed can work toward regaining some of the former bodily functions they once possessed.
Though this man’s accident was a “no fault” accident, his injuries remained financially and emotionally costly. If you or a loved one have been in a crash that resulted in damage to the spine, a claim may be successful. Consider contacting a Denver attorney to discover if you have a viable lawsuit against the responsible party.
Source: Daily Democrat, Paralyzed ex-athlete helping others, John Rogers, April 2, 2013