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Lance Dickman
My name is Lance and I was severly injured at work in June of 1995. I went to work at Sam's Club (a Division of Wal-Mart) in Buffalo, NY like I did every day for five years. Well what happened that day changed my life forever! A Manager at Sam's Club put a 19" television set weighing 52 pounds on a bookshelf which was designed to hold books only. I sat down at my workstation and the television set fell off the shelf striking the right side of my head and neck, pinning my head to the keyboard of my computer. That impact is like having three men's bowling balls thrown at your head at the same time. I can't remember everything that happened, but I woke up in the emergency room of a hospital and an MRI was being done on my head. I had a huge bump on my head, I was dizzy and to say the least, confused and in great pain. I had a severe concussion and cervical strain to my neck. Now, six years, later, I still have many complications from my Traumatic Brain Injury.

I had to see a Neurologist and he immediately diagnosed me of having TBI. I was unable to return to work for almsot 14 months. I went to physical therapy for over a year for my neck strain. My speech was affected and I stuttered or stammered often and sometimes repeated myself. My memory has been affected and my my relatives and friends were concerned that I would never normalize, they were right.

I was recently declared 'permanently and partially disabled' by a Worker's Compensation Law Judge.

I am a member of the Brain Injury Association of Florida (BIAF) and recently was interviewed in their video called: "Meeting the Faces of Brain Injury Survivors."

I was a Church Organist for over 35 years, but can no longer perform like I once did. My two hands and feet do not move like they should, and there is a delay from when I read the music to my brain.

If there is a lesson to learn here, it is one of 'safety'. Always use your brain and think before you act. If that person would have thought about what would happen if that television set was to fall off the shelf and hit someone, I am sure he would have never put it on the bookshelf.

As survivors of Brain Injuries, we must help educate others about Head Injuries. I hope to join the Brain Injury Associations of Florida's Advocacy Program and help change the laws. God Bless and hang in there!