Man in hospital after broken neck in swimming pool accident – The Stanly News & Press

It may have been Father’s Day weekend, but the best gift a father could ever receive didn’t come from his child. It came from a friend who saved his life.
According to Danielle Speights, who identified herself as the wife of Gaddy’s cousin, Thomas Gaddy was involved in an accident at his pool near Endy on Saturday night.
Speights set up a GoFundMe page on Sunday to raise money for his family after Gaddy was believed to be paralyzed after jumping into the pool.
“His day started like any other,” Speights said. “He went out and mowed the lawn he needed to mow, caught some fish, worked on a motorcycle and then fired up the grill to cook some steaks.”
According to Speights, Gaddy then said he was going to “jump in the pool to cool off.”
Speights said although Gaddy had jumped into the pool many times before, this time he landed on the edge between the 3-foot side and the deep end.
“When he jumped in, he was immediately paralyzed,” she said. “His friend had to pull him out.”
She estimates that he was “probably underwater for a minute.”
“To protect patient privacy, I am not at liberty to discuss the details of a medical emergency call,” EMS Chief Dale Chandler said when asked for a report on the incident.
Speights said she was told Gaddy suffered a spinal cord injury between the C5 and C6 vertebrae, breaking his neck and losing feeling below his shoulders.
She said surgery took place within four hours of the accident, giving his family hope for some recovery.
“He was able to breathe on his own, which is great,” she said.
Gaddy is a single father of two sons, an 18-year-old and a 13-year-old.
Anyone wishing to donate can visit the GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-thomas-gaddys-road-to-recovery.