A Georgia man’s routine chiropractic visit for neck pain ended in a life-shattering tragedy. Jonathan Buckelew, aged 24 at the time, sought a simple neck adjustment but left the office unable to walk. Now 34, he has endured a decade with locked-in syndrome, a rare condition rendering him fully conscious but paralyzed, except for his eyes. Unable to move or speak, some online have described his existence as “a fate worse than death.”
On October 26, 2015, Buckelew visited a chiropractor to relieve persistent neck discomfort. Moments after the adjustment, disaster struck. His body convulsed, he seized, and then became unresponsive.
Emergency services rushed him to North Fulton Hospital in Georgia, now under new management. Despite clear signs of neurological distress, the severity of his condition was overlooked. The neck manipulation had caused a brain stem stroke, but for a full day, doctors failed to diagnose it. By the time the truth emerged, the damage was permanent.
“This tragedy could have been prevented,” said Lloyd Bell, Buckelew’s attorney. “Had the chiropractor and medical team adhered to proper care standards, recognized the stroke sooner, and communicated effectively, Jonathan’s life would be entirely different.” The Buckelew family sued the chiropractor, the hospital, emergency physician Dr. Matthew Womack, radiologist James Waldschmidt, and neurologist Dr. Christopher Nickum.
The court awarded $75 million in damages: $9 million for past medical costs, $20 million for future care, and $46 million for pain and suffering. The Georgia Court of Appeals later upheld the $40 million verdict against Dr. Womack.
Before the incident, Buckelew was an active 24-year-old who loved sports. Now confined to a medical chair, his appearance has changed, his once-vibrant smile dulled by years of paralysis.
He communicates by blinking or using his nose to type slowly on a keypad.
His parents, Jack and Janice, have transformed their home into a makeshift ICU to care for him. “There’s no true justice for someone who lost everything,” Jack told Atlanta News First. “He wants to live, to go places, and it breaks our hearts to see him like this.”
Buckelew finds small comfort in watching a fish tank, one of the few activities that soothes him. Yet, his father reveals that Jonathan sometimes asks to “pull the plug,” expressing a desire to end his suffering.
His parents, however, have refused. Online reactions reflect shock and fear, with many vowing never to visit chiropractors. “They’re not doctors,” one commenter wrote. “Physiotherapists are safer.” Another remarked, “His parents’ refusal to honor his wishes feels cruel. He’s trapped in a life he doesn’t want.”
The case has sparked heated debate. Some call chiropractors “quacks,” urging people to seek qualified physiotherapists for spinal issues.
Others express sympathy for Buckelew’s unimaginable ordeal, with one quoting an Ogden Nash verse: “For him who botches that delicate neck trick, I hope there awaits the fauteuil electric.”
Despite the $75 million award, no amount can restore the life Buckelew lost. His story serves as a stark warning about the risks of seemingly routine medical procedures and the devastating consequences of negligence.