Man in his 20s went for simple neck adjustment at chiropractor and ended up with LOCKED-IN syndrome
A man in his twenties experienced a severe stroke following a visit to his chiropractor, which was overlooked by hospital physicians, resulting in him developing locked-in syndrome.
Jonathan Buckelew, now aged 34, encountered a life-changing emergency on October 26, 2015, when he was taken to a hospital in Georgia after seizing and becoming unresponsive during a chiropractic neck adjustment, as stated in court documents. Buckelew was admitted to North Fulton Hospital, which has since undergone a name change, where his brain stem stroke went undiagnosed for a full day.
This delay resulted in him suffering from locked-in syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that renders the patient entirely paralyzed except for their eye movements. Individuals afflicted with this distressing condition remain conscious of their environment and can usually hear, yet they are unable to move or communicate.
Buckles initiated legal action against the chiropractor, the hospital, Dr. Matthew Womack, radiologist James Wald Schmidt, and the on-call neurologist Christopher Nickum. A state court in Fulton County determined that Womack and Wald Schmidt neglected to diagnose Buckled, leading to him being awarded an extraordinary $75 million in damages. The Georgia Court of Appeals upheld this ruling in March, imposing a $40 million medical malpractice judgment against Womack.
