Jim was injured at age 20 after falling from a garage roof into a shallow above-ground pool while attempting to jump in. As he lost his balance at the edge, he fell headfirst into the pool, striking the bottom and sustaining a severe compression fracture in his neck. he remained conscious but was immediately paralyzed and unable to move, requiring friends to pull him from the water. The accident resulted in a C6 spinal cord injury and emergency medical care.