Gheorghe Dunca, 42 years old, suffered a devastating fall from the first floor of a building in 2011. Dunca, who works as a construction worker, was left paralyzed in his lower torso. But things are about to change due to a recent invention that could help him tread the ground again, SWNS reports.
Dunca fell 30 feet into the ground. He managed to receive a sufficient amount of compensation to afford exo-skeleton legs. The prosthetics cost about $55,000 and would last for twenty years. They also have to be replaced every five years.
Contemplating about his fall, Dunca felt “devastated.” He had always enjoyed traveling. When he had to use his wheelchair for the rest of his life, he had to give up his job as a construction worker.
Dunca’s lawyers were able to provide him a provisional payment from his former employers, Habitat Developments Limited, to be able to afford his robotic prosthetics.
The robotic suit costs about $5,000 and had to be replaced every five years. With the money he received, he can have it replaced three more times.
Gheorghe, who’s originally from Romania, said, “When I found out that I would be unable to walk and in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, I was devastated. I’d always loved travelling and I had a physical job. The accident took that all away from me.
“Getting my own ReWalk has absolutely changed my life again, it’s given me hope for the future and some of my freedom back. I can walk about 1.5km in an hour-and-a- half and I’m improving all the time. I feel happy and normal again when I use ReWalk.
“You might take it for granted but being able to simply walk around the park is an amazing experience after having to use a wheelchair. As I become more experienced using it, I’m looking forward to seeing where my new legs will take me.”
According to SWNS, the robotic suit is a wearable exoskeleton that allows the wearer mobility through empowering its hip and knee motion. People with spinal cord injuries can finally stand up and move similarly to normal human movements.
Chani Dhaliwal, a serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said, “Technology can play a vital role in the lives of people with disability but it is constantly changing and improving.
“The process of a legal case following an injury is to try as much as possible to return the injured person to their original lifestyle and while an exoskeleton suit may not be appropriate for everyone, it uses cutting edge technology which has been integral to improving Gheorghe’s quality of life and independence.
“Although nothing can turn back the clock and undo Gheorge’s injuries, we’re glad that the funding that we were able to help secure for him has gone a long way to helping him get the rehabilitation and private care he needs to get his life back on track, as much as it is possible.”
