Miracle Medicine Story: Recovering from a Major Spinal Cord Injury

There is a great story in yesterday’s Orange County Register about the lone survivor of the car accident that killed Angel’s pitcher Nick Adenhart. Jon Wilhite was a passenger in the car with Adenhart when the collision occurred, and was hit with such force that he suffered atlanto-occipital dislocation, better known as “internal decapitation.”

Internal decapitation occurs when the skull literally separates from the spine, which kills 95% of its sufferers at the scene of the accident. Of the five percent who survive, half of those are rendered quadriplegic. Jon was one of the lucky ones.

“Jon is the first Orange County survivor of internal decapitation,” said Dr. Nitin Bhatia, director of the Spine Center at UCI Medical Center.

When Dr. Bhatia arrived at the hospital to examine Jon, the x-ray revealed that his head was held on only by skin and muscle. What unfolded next is nothing short of a medical miracle, and now, only three months post-accident, Jon can walk and talk, and doctors expect him to make a near complete recovery.

To read the entire OC Register story click here.

Walton Law Firm LLP is a personal injury law firm that represents injury and wrongful death clients throughout San Diego and Orange County. Contingency fee arrangements available and consultations are always free. Please call toll free at (866) 607-1325.

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