What should have been a routine trip to the chiropractor ended in a life-shattering catastrophe for one man in his 20s.
On October 26, 2015, Jonathan Buckelew was rushed to North Fulton Hospital after falling unconscious during a neck adjustment appointment.
But instead of getting the urgent stroke treatment he desperately needed, he was let down again and again by the very professionals meant to save him.
Doctors missed every single warning sign. What followed was a case of locked-in syndrome: Buckelew can no longer speak, move, or care for himself, yet he remains fully conscious, a prisoner in his mind.
“This case is heartbreaking because Jonathan’s paralysis and brain damage were completely avoidable,” his attorney, Lloyd Bell, said, per The New York Post. “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.”
After years of legal battles, a Georgia court finally gave the Buckelews something to hold onto - justice in the form of a jaw-dropping $75 million verdict.
A Fulton County state court found Dr. Matthew Womack and radiologist James Waldschmidt guilty of malpractice, ordering Womack to pay $40 million. In total, Jonathan was awarded $29 million for medical expenses and another $46 million for pain and suffering.
The lawsuit also named the hospital, chiropractor, and neurologist Dr. Christopher Nickum. Waldschmidt has since dropped his appeal, while Womack is fighting on, taking his case to the Georgia Supreme Court.
Buckelew communicates only through eye movements and a keypad he operates with his nose. His parents, Jack and Janice, have transformed their home into a full-time care facility.
“I really feel like there’s no real justice for somebody who lost every aspect of his life,” Jack told Atlanta News First. “He wants to do things, he wants to go places - it just breaks our heart to see him like he is.
“There are some days where he’s like ‘pull the plug,’ so those are the tough days,” he added.
The dad shared that he and Buckelew's mom, Janice, now run a 24/7 care operation from their own home, backed by a team of nurses. Their house has been transformed into a round-the-clock recovery zone, with his son relying on blinks and a nose-controlled keypad to communicate. The garage is also a stocked medical supply hub.
"We do work really hard to keep at least two months ahead on the supplies," Jack continued. "We created an ICU, honestly."
Buckelew's legal team claims that the medical staff ignored glaring symptoms and violated their own rules.
“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 explained.
Now, with one appeal down and another pending, the fight over Jonathan’s fate continues. But for his family, no courtroom win can reverse the damage done by a single adjustment.