Orange County nurse retires after accident and is paralyzed

A dedicated Southern California nurse is ending her career on a bittersweet note after an accident left her paralyzed from the chest down. Deanne Niedziela is a charge nurse at Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo and managed the Spine and Neuroscience Institute and Acute Care Service. She has worked in healthcare for over 30 years and dedicated her life to saving others. On May 28, she was on a dream vacation to waterfalls in Costa Rica that turned into tragedy when a tree branch fell and crushed her spinal cord. After nine hours of life-saving surgery, Niedziela survived but was paralyzed from the chest down. Jennifer McGraw of KTLA reports June 13, 2024.