Surfs up, but the spinal cord injury numbers are down.  That’s what one New Jersey lifeguard is aiming for this summer after a surfing accident caused his spinal cord injury back in 2001, reports the Press of Atlantic City.

For our firm’s paralysis lawyers in San Diego, we know how much fun and how dangerous the water can be when you try to ride the waves.  Fierce winds, low tides, and powerful currants make for dangerous conditions and can cause a spinal cord injury to those unprepared.

Lifeguard and recovering spinal cord injury patient wants to educate surfers on safety this summer.

In 2001, one man broke his neck while surfing off of Poverty Beach in New Jersey’s Cape May.  Hurricane Humberto propelled waves, and a 1990 project by the Army Corps of Engineers caused shallow waters along the beach.  When the man crashed into the sand, the water’s depth was only about three inches.

The man underwent numerous spinal cord injury treatments for several years following his 11-hours of spinal surgery, but he is one of the lucky ones.  After equipping his hip with some titanium rods and plates,  along with a spinal fusion on three of his vertebrae, he was able to walk again.

Today, this man stands tall, and at 33-years-old, he is able to use all of his limbs again despite losing some flexibility in his joints.  Now, this lifeguard and life-long surfer has teamed up with Life Rolls On, a division of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.  The organization hosts charity golf tournaments and helps fund treatments for back injuries, but they are also helping to warn other surfers about the dangers involved with surfing the Jersey shore.

“We’re the first South Jersey beach resort to issue a beach-safety pamphlet.  We did listen to him, and we’re working on the problem,” said Cape May Mayor Ed Mahaney in response to the man’s efforts to prevent spinal cord injuries at his hometown beach.

When the man was a lifeguard as a young man, every summer emergency teams would be required to respond to one or two spinal-cord injuries on the beach.  Cape May Fire Department records indicate that number increased to 6-10 per year during the 1990s and close to 11 in 2007, 22 in 2008 and 32 in 2009.

Our paralysis lawyers in San Diego — a location known for its great surf and fantastic beaches — ask everyone planning to hang ten this summer to be prepared for low tides and high waves.  If a wave looks too dangerous to ride, catch the next one.  That’s one thing that is for sure:  you might not be able to recover from a paralyzing accident, but you can always wait for the perfect wave that is safe enough for you to ride.

If you or someone you know has a spinal cord injury or was paralyzed during an accident, contact our bilingual San Diego law firm at 1-858-551-2090 for a FREE consultation with an experienced paralysis lawyers.  You may also click here and submit your case for a FREE online review.  We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you owe nothing until we recover a fair settlement on your behalf.