‘I CAN’T FEEL MY LEGS’
Roslindale dad paralyzed by snowy tree limb
A 49-year-old Roslindale man was struck by a falling tree limb and paralyzed while snowblowing after last week’s massive storm, and doctors are urging residents to be hyper vigilant with more snow expected next week.
Scott Berry was on his way to clear the sidewalk in front of his neighbor’s house in the early morning hours of March 8 when a large tree limb — about a foot in diameter — fell and pinned him to the ground.
“I was sleeping and heard my mom yell, ‘Caitlyn! Caitlyn! A tree just fell on your father!’ ” said Caitlyn Berry, 21, Scott’s daughter. “I ran downstairs in my pajamas. I just wanted to make sure my dad was OK.”
Scott, who was clearing snow before heading out to work, had just paused to snap a photo of a broken tree branch to send to the city’s 311 nonemergency hotline before the limb fell, she said.
When she made it outside, the first thing she heard her father say was, “I can’t feel my legs.”
Caitlyn gathered blankets from indoors and covered her dad to keep him warm while the ambulance and fire truck made their way to the house.
Scott underwent about six hours of surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, but there was nothing the surgeons could do to fix Scott’s severed spinal cord, Caitlyn said.
“He’s never going to feel anything or have sensation below his midchest,” she said.
He is now continuing his recovery at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown.
Snow removal often brings a large number of people into the emergency room after every storm, said Dr. Ali Raja, vice chairman of Massachusetts General Hospital’s emergency department.
“Snowblowing is inherently dangerous because of what’s on the ground and what’s overhead,” Raja said. “With more snow coming next week, whatever methods people use, take it slowly.”
Dr. Brien Barnewolt, chairman and chief of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Tufts Medical Center, said he hasn’t seen any tree injuries yet this winter, but that it is a constant danger during inclement weather.
“These large trees, especially, with these windy conditions and heavy snow, people don’t realize how heavy these limbs are,” Barnewolt said. “It’s not unheard of for them to cause serious injury or death.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the Berry family, who will need to completely renovate their home to accommodate Scott. There are several steps leading up to the entrance, and the Colonialstyle house will need to have a few hallways knocked down, Caitlyn said.
But Scott is taking the news as well as can be expected, she said.
“He’s thankfully got a really great sense of humor,” Caitlyn said. “And he’s already started talking about learning how to play golf once he’s up and ready. “
To donate to the Berry family, visit gofundme.com/596hj8w.