Man in twenties went for neck adjustment with chiropractor and now has locked-in syndrome

A man in his 20s was left suffering from locked-in syndrome after a chiropractor appointment triggered a life-threatening medical emergency.

Jonathan Buckelew's loved ones say he 'lost every aspect of his life' after the rare neurological condition which essentially paralyses people took hold following an incident in October 2015.

The now 34-year-old underwent a chiropractic neck adjustment and suddenly became dizzy, disoriented and unresponsive during the appointment, Atlanta News First (ANF) reports.

He was rushed to the North Fulton Hospital in the US state of Georgia, but according to court documents, doctors failed to diagnose what was going on with Jonathan.

Tragically, he was suffering from a severe brain stem stroke - and the young man lost precious time to halt the damage, as medics missed it.

Jonathan Buckelew won a $75 million lawsuit after doctors failed to diagnose his condition (Facebook/Janice Buckelew)

It went undiagnosed for a day, and this delay ended up leaving Jonathan with locked-in syndrome, meaning he is conscious but unable to move or communicate verbally, except via eye movements.

His lawyer, Lloyd Bell, explained: "Jonathan was having a stroke when he came to the hospital, and they missed it. 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."

Jonathan's family launched legal proceedings against the chiropractor, the hospital, Dr. Matthew Womack, radiologist James Waldschmidt, and the on-call neurologist Christopher Nickum.

A jury at a Fulton County state court ruled that Womack and Waldschmidt had been 'grossly negligent' when failing to diagnose Jonathan's condition, resulting in him being awarded $75 million in damages.

The court also heard how Womack had not told Nickum that Jonathan had visited a chiropractor that day nor that the patient had experienced two seizure-like events.

Jonathan had visited a chiropractor for a neck adjustment prior to his stroke (Atlanta News First)

The radiologist also missed key information on scans, according to ANF, but the chiropractor, the hospital, and its staff were not found liable.

Jonathan reportedly received $9 million for his previous medical expenses, $20 million for future medical costs and $46 million for pain and suffering as a result of the medical malpractice lawsuit.

Speaking in the wake of the verdict, Bell said: "This case is heartbreaking because Jonathan's paralysis and brain damage were completely avoidable.

"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."

Despite the mammoth compensation Jonathan was awarded, his family say it still doesn't equate to the life he has lost.

"I really feel like there's no real justice for somebody who lost every aspect of his life," his father, Jack Buckelew, said.

"We're just focusing on what can we do now; how can we keep him as happy as possible; and how can we give him the best life possible."

The dad explained that he and Jonathan's mum, Janice, now care for their formerly fit and active son around the clock alongside a team of nurses.

His family said it 'breaks their heart' to see what has happened to the 34-year-old (Facebook/Janice Buckelew)

They've adapted their home to accommodate Jonathan, who can't talk but communicates by blinking or using his nose to type on a keypad, and their garage has become a medical supply room.

"We do work really hard to keep at least two months ahead on the supplies," Jack continued. "We created an ICU, honestly."

He then said of his son: "In spite of his spirit which keeps us going - because 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."

Womack appealed the court ruling, and this was initially denied. However, he has now taken the appeal to Georgia's Supreme Court.

Waldschmidt also filed an appeal but later withdrew it.

LADbible has contacted Tenet Health, which owns the hospital where Jonathan was treated, for comment.