Legal Juice

Timothy Walker (who, per his lawyer, "developed a bizarre theory that all adult males were smelly") was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in New South Wales, Australia. He felt that he was not getting the proper medical attention. So, he told the staff he was feeling better, and was discharged. Eleven days later, he was feeling "a mixture of negative things." He grabbed an extension cord, and climbed a 30-foot tree in his back yard with the intention of hanging himself.

At the top of the tree, "things just didn't seem as hard as they did before," said Mr. Walker. "I felt better than I had for a long time, so I started to climb down." Then tragedy struck. Mr. Walker fell, fractured his spine, and is now a quadriplegic.

Mr. Walker is suing the Wentworth Area Health Service for negligence, claiming that more should have been done for him. As to why he sought no medical treatment in the eleven days after his discharge, he said it was because he "didn't get any help at the hospital." The civil suit is currently underway.