► Christina
Continued from page 1
thought it would heal her.”
The accident occurred Friday,
January 14, 1994, after Christina
joined a friend for a ride in his pick
up truck. Traveling down Daw’s
Creek Rf^id, the driver lost control
and the truck hit a ditch, flipped
three times and came to rest upside
down after hitting a utility pole.
While the driver escaped with
only minor injuries, Christina’s
spinal cord was severed at the base
of her neck. She was rushed to New
Hanover Regional Medical Center,
where Sattler was the physician on
call.
When she arrived at the hospital,
she could still wiggle her toes and
fingers and move her arms, said the
Price’s attorney, Bill Faison of
Raleigh. With proper treatment,
Christina may have had a chance of
some recovery, Faison said, adding
that it’s “common knowledge”
among doctors that injuries like
Christina’s must be treated within
24 hours or paralysis is likely to
worsen.
Sattler put Christina in traction for
four days, and her parents said they
watched in despair as their daugh
ter’s condition deteriorated daily.’
The paralysis spread from her chest
to just below her neck. Today,
Christina * cannot move or feel
below her chin and is unable to
breathe without a ventilator.
While Sattler agreed to settle the
case, he accepted no liability for
Christina’s condition, said his attor
ney, Lee Evans of Raleigh.
As Christina’s paralysis spread
under Sattler’s care, the Prices said
they began to make inquiries about
Tve been able to
be thankful for
what she still has.
She has her mind
and she can still
talk, so the possi
bilities for her are
enormous.’
Larry Price
the doctor’s past. They spoke with
hospital officials and members of
the N. C. Medical Board, but said
they were not able to find out any
thing about the doctor.
Only when Faison investigated the
case for the malpractice suit did the
Prices learn that Sattler was taking
medication for seizures, had at least
12 other suits filed against him, and
had lost his liability insurance and
license to practice twice.
Sattler is currently in a psycholo
gy residency program at a hospital
in Roanoke, VA, said Faison.
“I think with him knowing he was
too sick to take care of me, he
should have at least told us we had
another option besides him,”
Christina said. “I think there should
be a law that people should be able
to find out if a doctor -lost his
license, lost his insurance and had
lawsuits filed against him. I don’t
Smti Wejuuep
Shoptiik List
Larry and Dena Price say they hope the $8-million settlement will pro
vide for their daughter’s medical bills and ensure she never has to go to
a nursing home.
want this to happen to anyone else.”
Despite her physical disabilities,
Christina said she intends to finish
college and pursue her dream of
becoming an attorney. In particular,
she said she hopes to someday help
victims of medical malpractice.
“This wheelchair isn’t going to
hold me back, it’s not that heavy,”
she declared. “No matter what
obstacles get in my way, I can over
come them. Now I just want to
encourage other people to always go
for their goals and dreams and never
give up.”
Christina is a student at UNC
Wilmington and plans to enroll in
math and personal finance courses
during the summer.
Mr. Price called Christina “an
inspiration to us and everyone
around her.”
“She’s determined to get, out of
that chair someday, and the encour
agement she gives to everyone is
unreal,” he said. “I’ve been able to
be thankful for what she still has.
She has her mind and she can still
talk, so the possibilities for her are
enormous. I’m also thankful my
business has allowed me to keep her
out of a nursing home. Now, what I
want more than anything is to take
care of her and Dena.”
Mrs. Price said the family has
grown stronger since Christina’s
accident.
“We all loved one another before,
but now we really know what love is
about,” she said. “At first I was
angry with God, I was mad. But
now I realize Christina has a pur
pose in this world, we just don’t
know what that’s going to be yet.”
►Airport
Continued from page 1
Brunswick Sanitary District.
SBSD commissioner Tommy
Bowmer has been a leading critic of
the plan he said would displace 160
households.
“The big problem would be most
mobile homes could not go any
where else in the county, because of
their age,” Bowmer said. “So, these
people would just lose their homes.”
Brunswick County and SBSD
have in place zoning regulations
which forbid mobile homes more
than ten years old to be located or
relocated in their jurisdictions.
“Personally, I think they’re doing
a disservice to the people in here,”
Bowmer said.
Bowmer renewed his criticism of
the proposed airport runway expan
sion plan, and renewed his claim the
runway should be resituated to run
parallel to the Intracoastal
Waterway, not further east into the
mobile home parks. ’Bowmer also
warmed Monday to commissioner
Ginger Harper’s contention that the
Brunswick County Airport should
be developed completely outside
Southeast Brunswick Sanitary
District. He suggested county com
missioners be told to develop a
“regional” airport “halfway between
Shallotte and Southport.”
SBSD acting manager Barbara
Stein said the proposed expansion
could cost the district $11,000 a
month in lost sewer system revenue.
District officials have not calculated
loss of tax base, but most feel the
$2.3 million the federal government
will appropriate for land acquisition
won’t begin to buy the land the air
port needs.
Commissioners Bowmcr and
Gene Formyduval saw an irony in
the displacement of low-income
mobile home owners. Much of the
financing for the district’s waste
water management system now
under construction came from the
Farmers Home Administration
under a program to bring clean
water to economically depressed
areas.
“They are giving taxpayers’
money to a tax-exempt entity to
un taxpayers property,
Formydu\aI asserted.
The low-income people are going -
t0 hurt the worst by it,” Bowmer
agreed. ‘These are the ones who
clptT get grants for this sewer and
now we re telling them to get out.
°'V we're going to build for big
corporate executives.”
Bowmer has contended the run
way expansion is only to accommo
date two or three area corporate
interests which wish to land bigger
jets in Brunswick County.
1 a like to see them hold a public
hearing on this,” commissioner
Lucille Laster said. “They’re using
the people's tax money three times
over - federal, state and local.
Stein was directed to write airport
commissioners, apprising them of
SBSD commissioners’ desire for a
yuime nearing on the expansion pro
posal,
Commissioners hope airport
authorities will comply.
“If they don’t hold one, then' I
think the district needs to,” commis
sioner Laster said.
‘Stunt* flying
Commissioners said they have
received “numerous” complaints
from district residents about pilots
who engage in “stunt” flying over
the airport and surrounding neigh
borhoods. Fear of this practice was
fueled by an airplane crash on take
off two weeks ago.
Commissioner Bowmer said resi
dents of Yaupon Beach and St.
James Plantation share these con
cerns. Parishioners of a church
located in the district say their
Sunday afternoon services are inter
rupted by noisy planes stunting
overhead.
While Bowmer contended “the
airport should police its pilots,”
commissioners voted to send a letter
of complaint to Jane Tyler of the
Federal Aviation Administration’s
Flight Standards Office in Winston
Salem. She has already advised dis
trict commissioners to videotape
any pilot stunt flying below 1,500
feet, a violation of air safety prac
tices.
►Convention
Continued from page 1
Carolina. Normally, large crowds
must use the 6,600-seat Trask
Coliseum on the UNC-Wilmington
campus. But that facility is designed
specifically for basketball games,
.vith bleacher seating on the lower
level. .
Hicks told county commissioners
he was also extending a “hand of
friendship” to Brunswick so the two
governments can work together in
the future on other issues of impor
tance,
“We have a lot of tasks ahead of
us,” said Hicks, “and 1 think the best
way to handle these tasks is for us to
work together.”
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SENIOR
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•Monday, May 4 8:30am
Golf at Oak Island Country Club
•Monday, May 11 9:00am
Tennis, Football Throw, Basketball Shooting, Spin Casting at Towncreek Park
• Tuesday, May 12 9:00am
Bowling Events at Brunswick Bowling Center
• Wednesday, May 13 10:00am
Croquet, Softball Throw, Walking at Long Beach Parks & Recreation Center
• Thursday, May 14 10:00am
Shuffleboard, Horseshoes, Table Tennis at Towncreek Park
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