Man has locked-in syndrome after doctors missed one major stroke…

A Georgia man was left paralyzed head to toe for the remainder of his life after a number of licensed physicians failed to diagnose his life-threatening stroke in time. Jonathan Buckelew, 34, was granted a large sum in damages due to the horrific locked-in syndrome he developed, which seemingly may have been averted if he had been handled in time. 

On October 26, 2015, Jonathan was rushed to North Fulton Hospital after he fainted during a chiropractic neck adjustment.  Every doctor who seemed into Jonathan’s case failed to catch the indicators of a stroke. Their negligence led him to develop extreme locked-in syndrome, leaving him unable to talk or transfer despite having full consciousness. 

“Jonathan was having a stroke when he came to the hospital and they missed it,” said Jonathan’s attorney Lloyd Bell.

“The people who were responsible for reading the radiographs misread it. 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.”

“This case is heartbreaking because Jonathan’s paralysis and brain damage were completely avoidable,” he added. 

A failure of American healthcare

The Buckelews sued the chirpractor, the hospital, Dr. Matthew Womack, radiologist James Waldschmidt and neurologist Christopher Nickum for their incompetence and negligence, as efficient diagnosis and treatment of Jonathan’s stroke may have helped avert this tragedy. 

A Fulton County state court declared Womack and Waldschmidt guilty of malpractice, ordering Womack to pay $40 million. According to court paperwork, Jonathan was given $29 million for past and future medical bills and $67 million for struggling.

Jonathan’s father, Jack Buckelew told Atlanta News First that “there’s no real justice for somebody who lost every aspect of his life.”

“He wants to do things, he wants to go places — it just breaks our heart to see him like he is,” the heartbroken father added. “There are some days where he’s like ‘pull the plug,’ so those are the tough days.”