Broken Neck - Ouch!

Whoa. Wonder what he hit / got hit with. Thx for posting D-SUP.

 

Damn! He was very lucky he was not out there alone

 

I've known 2 people who have broken their necks surfing shallow beach breaks on small days. One dude was partially paralyzed for awhile.He would have died had a bud not pulled him out. He eventually regained most of his mobility back. The other dude healed up fine. Neither surfed again after their accidents. Stuff can happen in a flash.

 

It's always the small days in shallow water. That's what happened to Jesse Billauer.

 

Have a buddy who fractured/broke his neck. It was ok to the point that he could make it out of the water. Didn't know it was broken right away and waited a few days.

It happen in shallow water on a smaller day...

 

Sandbar/beachbreaks are the worse for neck injuries.
So you should all go surf there!!!

 

see people , it could happen to anybody.first I remember like 2 -3 yrs ago mike parsons(legendary big wave rider for u noobs) broke his neck at ocean beach on a solid swell.now shawn dollar had a similar incident ..and for ppl who don't know who dollar is,he holds the record for largest paddle wave,multiple records for different waves from mavs to cortez

 

This local older surfer broke his neck on a shallow day. He was laying face up luckily but couldn't move. Luckily his buddy who is also an EMT and beach guard, was there and got him air lifted. Surgery was successful and he has no real lingering problems. Heckuva nice guy. He said he was laying there thinking it wasn't a bad way to go. You might meet him someday when you start living in Brevard DP!

 

You're a kind man Barry.....very kind.....
....the kind we don't like!

 

Best wishes for a full recovery.
A good session can go bad real quick. In my earlier days of surfing I had been out during a north east swell and the waves were big and pitching when they hit the sand bar making nice hollow inside sections. After a few good rides and twice as many paddle backs I was getting spent. Decided to take one last wave, droped in and the wave dropped out. Sucked up the face and into the lip wich drove me head first into trough and utimately into the sand. Next thing I know I had shooting pains from the base of my skull and down my back. The swim in sucked. I was fortunate enough to have only pinched nerves in my neck and was in a neck brace for many weeks. Still not right. I was lucky that day because in an instant my life could have been change forever. These days I surf smarter and if I feel worn out I'll take a break. Hopefully not my neck!
Man,I love to surf!

 

Hey...thanks! Probably part of the reason I don't feel the urge to get air and do flips and at 55, I can't afford to practice. It's a work and fam thang.

 

Just want to add that I really admire what is being done on waves and boards. Practice and experience are great teachers, but doods and doodetts, please use common sense. Know your limits. Accidents don't give warnings. EMT's aren't crazy about saving knuckleheads but they will.

 

My face and my board can vouch for that.

 

Years ago I caught a wave at the end of my session. As the wave died out I dropped down to ride it in on my stomach the rest of the way. As it got into the shore break it started to stand up a little bit into a pretty cool knee high wave. As this little wave closed out I tried to do an el-rollo up and over. Big mistake. Landed on the back of my head on the sand. instant stinger. One of the dumbest things I've ever done and could have changed life in an instant.