Phoenix, Ariz., Jun 29, 2007 / 07:36 am
In a case reminiscent of Terri Schiavo’s, a 36-year-old man who suffered serious brain injuries in a car accident emerged from his comatose state and is rehabilitating despite doctors’ initial prognosis that the injuries could have left him blind or in a permanent vegetative state.
Jesse Ramirez was in the car accident on May 30, and by June 8, his 33-year-old wife, Rebecca, asked doctors to remove his food and water tubes. But Jesse's family took her to court, and a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ordered the tubes reconnected. The judge appointed an independent attorney to mediate between the families and to talk to Jesse's doctors, reported The Arizona Republic.
On Tuesday, the family members reached a settlement on Jesse's care that would transfer the decision-making from Rebecca to a court-appointed guardian, the newspaper said.
Byron Babione, an attorney for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Scottsdale-based right-to-life organization, called the settlement "a good decision for everyone; it lifts the burden off the wife, and it lifts the burden off the family, as well."