At just 24 years old, the Georgia man went in seeking relief from neck pain — but he left as a changed man, forever confined to a body that no longer obeyed him.
Went into a seizure
Jonathan’s nightmare started on October 26, 2015. After battling relentless neck pain, Buckelew sought a straightforward chiropractic adjustment. But just moments after the treatment, everything took a tragic turn.
During his chiropractic appointment, Jonathan suddenly became dizzy, disoriented and unresponsive, according to Atlanta News First.
Now, ten years later at 34, Jonathan remains trapped in a cruel prison known as locked-in syndrome. Fully aware and alert, he is utterly paralyzed, able to move only his eyes. Conscious of every moment yet unable to speak or move, his existence has been described by many online as “a fate worse than death.”
But how did it come to this?
When Jonathan collapsed that fateful day in 2015, panic erupted. He was rushed to North Fulton Hospital in Georgia, where emergency doctors immediately took charge.
Violent neck adjustment
Despite clear signs of severe neurological distress, doctors failed to diagnose what was going on with Jonathan. It would later be revealed that Jonathan had suffered a severe brain stem stroke — and precious time to stop the damage slipped away as doctors failed to recognize it.
For a full day, the severity of his condition went undetected. By the time the doctors realized the truth, the damage was permanent and irreversible.
“This case breaks my heart,” said Lloyd Bell, Buckelew’s attorney.
”Jonathan’s paralysis and brain damage were entirely preventable. If the healthcare team had followed proper procedures, recognized the stroke earlier, and communicated effectively, Jonathan’s life would have been completely different.”
The Buckelew family took legal action against the chiropractor, the hospital, Dr. Matthew Womack, radiologist James Waldschmidt, and neurologist Christopher Nickum, accusing them of failing to detect Jonathan’s stroke — a delay that cost him his future.
A state court in Fulton County ruled that both Womack and Waldschmidt were guilty of malpractice. Womack alone was ordered to pay $40 million. Altogether, Jonathan was awarded $29 million to cover past and future medical bills, plus an additional $46 million for the immense pain and suffering he’s endured, according to court records.
The chiropractor, hospital and other clinical staff were not found liable.
Lived an active life
Despite the compensation, money can’t restore what was lost. Jonathan’s life was forever altered and trapped by paralysis. Before the stroke at 24, lived actively, enjoying sports. Now, confined to a medical chair, the paralysis has slowly erased the vibrant, hopeful smile he once wore.
He communicates by blinking or using his nose to slowly type on a keypad. His parents, Jack and Janice, have transformed their home into a makeshift ICU to care for him.
Jack told Atlanta News First, “There’s really no justice for someone who’s lost every part of his life. He wants to do things, to go places — it just breaks our hearts to see him like this.”
Without movement or speech, Jonathan’s world has shrunk to a few small comforts, like watching the large fish tank in their living room — one of the few moments that brings him peace.
But behind these fleeting moments lies a harsher truth. Jack revealed that Jonathan has sometimes asked for the end to his suffering.
“Some days he says, ‘pull the plug,’” Jack said quietly. “Those are the hardest days.”
A new appeal
The final chapter in this heartbreaking story has yet to be written.
Dr. Womack is now making a final push to overturn the verdict, filing a new appeal with Georgia’s state supreme court after losing his initial challenge. Meanwhile, Waldschmidt has backed down and decided not to pursue his appeal any further.
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