Michael Schuch Consult Services, LLC

 

Florida amusement park consultations:

 

Consultation services were provided by Michael Schuch to Disney World and Universal Studios in 2003 and 2004 respectively.  The focus was on amputees and their use of their prostheses relative to safety issues while participating in the theme parks' various water slides and amusement rides.  In both amusement parks, I was provided the grand tour, allowed to observe professional staff participating in the slides and rides, and actually act like a kid again by experiencing  the slides and rides myself.  The result was expert advice provided to these very professional clients on developing specific policies for amputees using prostheses with the goal of enhancing their safety without detracting from their experience and enjoyment of the activities in question.

 

Interesting Case Locations

Case 1:  C.A.,  Grand Cayman, British West Indies, February 15-18, 1998.

Summary: 

C.A. had recently graduated from high school and was on a graduation trip with his father to Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean.  An avid snorkeler and diver, he had just completed a week of fun and outstanding diving experiences when he was on his way back to the local airport to return home.  He stopped on the side of a road just before the main village on Cayman to photograph a large cruise ship approaching the port docks.  An intoxicated individual, working for a privately owned firm and driving the firm’s motor vehicle, lost control of the vehicle in a curve in the road, left the pavement, and hit C.A. where he stood well off the road taking photos. 

C.A. underwent a traumatic transfemoral (above the knee) amputation as a result of the accident, and later filed a court action against the driver and the company.  Serving as an expert witness in the court trial, I produced report and testimony about C.A.’s anticipated life expectancy, his prosthetic accomplishments thus far as well as his future prosthetic needs, resulting in a lifetime prosthetic cost projection that significantly enhanced C.A.’s court ordered financial compensation for the accident and related injuries…..Of interest, the court followed the British traditions, right down to the judge wearing an old fashioned white, long wig along with the traditional robes of authority.  It sure was tough sitting in this glass enclosed courtroom on the top floor of the courthouse for four days, surrounded by 360 degree views of the beautiful, emerald green Caribbean waters.

 

Case 2:  J.W., Driggs, Idaho, March 14-16, 1999.

Summary:

Where is Driggs, Idaho??  Far northeast Idaho, near Yellowstone Park.  The last of the great western cowboy ranch land on the western side of the Teton mountain range, the other side of the mountains from Jackson Hole, Wyoming.   After three plane flights, two hours of rental car driving, I arrived in Driggs to note that only main street was paved, and it and the other streets all had hitching posts for those who chose to ride their horses into town.  Seriously, no bull.

J.W. was driving his pickup one evening in the snow and someone traveling the opposite direction skidded out and over the center line and hit J.W. head-on.  The impact shattered his left foot and ankle requiring surgical repair with hardware and screws.  For several years he tolerated the pain and lack of mobility as he worked his ranch in the cold weather of eastern Idaho.  I was consulted both from an orthotic prosthetic care advice perspective and as an expert witness for the lawsuit J.W. had filed in court.  Based on my evaluation of J.W., and my years of service in trauma centers, I advised that his best option for rehab and recovery was a transtibial (below the knee) amputation.  Many of my patients over the years who suffered with lower limb salvage procedures wished they had chosen amputation earlier, as they quickly rehabbed and recovered using a lower limb prosthesis.  If amputation seemed too extreme, the second option I suggested was a custom molded ankle foot orthosis, designed to fit much like a transtibial prosthesis, with weight-bearing around the knee and leg, reducing the weight transferred through his ankle and foot (commonly known in the profession as a patella tendon bearing <PTB> ankle foot orthosis).  As an expert witness I produced a report and testified in court regarding the pros and cons of the above advice and the potential lifetime costs of both options.  Ultimately, J.W. was awarded a significant financial sum by the court.

 

Case 3:  G.L.J.  Case in Hamilton, Bermuda,  May 14-18, 2000.

Summary:

G.L.J. was riding her moped (as many do in Bermuda) one day around the curvy roads that are frequently hemmed in with stacked rock walls on the sides.  These walls are beautiful, but leave no escape from the road in an emergency situation.  G.L.J. was hit by a truck whose driver crossed the center line of the road and she was pinned between the truck and a rock wall.  She was airlifted to Duke Medical Center in North Carolina where she underwent a transtibial (below the knee) amputation.  I fit her with her initial prosthesis and over the years following the accident and subsequent amputation, observed as she finished college and became a primary grade school teacher.  I fit her with several prostheses before her lawsuit reached trial status in court.  Naturally, she and her attorney requested my expertise as a witness in her trial in Bermuda.  I provided a report and testimony regarding her rehab, previous prostheses and related costs, and projected future prosthetic needs and costs.  After a lengthy trial in a courtroom similar to that in Grand Cayman (described above) she was awarded a fair and reasonable monetary sum to compensate her loss and provide for her future needs.