Post by vintage on May 19, 2017 11:03:57 GMT -8
"Kearney Lawyer Stays Positive After Becoming Quadriplegic
A Kearney lawyer hasn't been able to voluntarily move any of his limbs from his chest down or to care for himself since being involved in a minor crash.
April 9, 2017, at 4:13 p.m.
By KIM SCHMIDT, Kearney Hub
KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — Just one finger, a hand and an arm. That's all Jeff Wirth is asking for.
In the 13½ months since a minor crash, Wirth hasn't been able to voluntarily move any of his limbs from his chest down or to care for himself. He's a quadriplegic.
"One arm would be huge. Being able to drive a wheelchair, sign a check, change a channel, grab a phone — one hand would be nice. Anything. ... So far, nothing," he told the Hub on a recent visit.
Wirth, 55, is temporarily living at QLI Tri-Dimensional Rehab in Omaha where he has therapy and rehabilitation. A Kearney lawyer for 28 years, he has served 27 years as a deputy Buffalo County public defender and had been the public defender the last 10 years after being elected in 2006 to replace a retiring Gary Hogg.
Despite his disabilities, Wirth stays in touch with his office, doing what he can via email.
On Feb. 16, 2016, Wirth was driving to a meeting at the state Juvenile Probation Office when he bumped into a light pole in the parking lot at a low speed. The crash was so minor it didn't even dent his pickup, but the jolt was enough to cause a spinal stenosis he didn't know he had to bruise his spinal cord and paralyze him, Wirth said..."
Read the rest of the story here:
www.usnews.com/news/best-states/nebraska/articles/2017-04-09/kearney-lawyer-stays-positive-after-becoming-quadriplegic
