Tragedy as young man who cares for his paraplegic brother, 25, after motorcycle crash is paralyzed himself in swimming accident

  • Matt Chaffee, 25, of Kalamazoo, Michigan became a paraplegic following a motorcycle accident in November
  • He moved in with his brother Adam, 23, after the accident who helped with his recovery and gave him a 'better outlook' on life
  • Adam was swimming with friends on Sunday when one pushed him into the water and he hit his head
  • He is now paralyzed and has no feeling in his body, making him unable to eat or speak 
  • The family does not know if Adam will regain any feeling in his body due to the severity of his injuries
  • Matt and Adam also lost their father in 2012 aged 55 due to a heart attack 

A young man who has spent the past eight months caring for his paraplegic brother has now been paralyzed in a diving accident.

Adam Chaffee, 23, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was swimming with some friends Sunday when one pushed him off a dock and as he tried to do a flip before landing in the water he hit his head, severing his spinal cord.

The incident occurred months after the November motorcycle crash that left his brother Matt Chaffee, 25, unable to walk.

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Matt Chaffee (left) and his brother Adam (right) have both suffered horrible accidents leaving them paralyzed

Matt Chaffee (left) and his brother Adam (right) have both suffered horrible accidents leaving them paralyzed

Matt Chaffee
Adam Chaffee

Unreal: Matt (left) became paraplegic following a motorcycle crash in November while Adam (right) currently has no feeling in his body

Support: Matt moved in with Adam after his accident as he began the process of recovering from the trauma (above)

Support: Matt moved in with Adam after his accident as he began the process of recovering from the trauma (above)

Matt spoke with Michigan Live after his brother's accident and said that the family knows Adam will likely never regain feeling in parts of his body, but they hope he will be able to use his arms.

'Being able to use a manual wheelchair instead of an electric wheelchair, that would be a huge blessing,' said Matt. 

Matt himself only has use of his body from the chest up - including his arms - after his crash which occurred in Memphis last November. 

 I feel like I was just starting to get comfortable with my disability. I was starting to become positive again. I had a better outlook on life, then all of a sudden this happens to him.

He broke eight ribs and punctured both lungs in addition to shattering his spine 

He moved in with his brother as he began his recovery, and credits Adam with helping him adjust to his new life and giving him a positive outlook after the horrific incident.

'I feel like I was just starting to get comfortable with my disability,' said Matt. 

'I was starting to become positive again. I had a better outlook on life, then all of a sudden this happens to him.'

Matt worked as a process engineer at a chemical plant before his accident, but has not worked since his accident.

Adam has a complete spinal cord injury and no motor function at this time. His family has remained by his side at the hospital. 

Positive: 'It's going to be extremely difficult, but I think he's the kind of guy that will stay positive through it,' said Matt (above with Adam in March)

Positive: 'It's going to be extremely difficult, but I think he's the kind of guy that will stay positive through it,' said Matt (above with Adam in March)

Helping hand: A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family (above Adam and Matt with their sister and mother)

Helping hand: A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family (above Adam and Matt with their sister and mother)

Remembering: Adam had a tattoo done on his arm to remember his father after his death in 2012

Remembering: Adam had a tattoo done on his arm to remember his father after his death in 2012

For those of you who do not know the Chaffee family very well, they are the most kind-hearted, genuine people you will ever meet, despite what they have gone through these past few years 

Friends of the brothers - who also lost their father to a heart attack in 2012 - have now set up a GoFundMe page to help with the medical expenses and things like a van for when Adam is out of the hospital.

'For those of you who do not know the Chaffee family very well, they are the most kind-hearted, genuine people you will ever meet, despite what they have gone through these past few years,' the administrator wrote of the family on the page. 

'In January 2012, Matt and Adam's father, Greg Chaffee, passed away due to complications of a heart attack at the age of 55. Greg was one of the most generous and kind people you could ever meet, you can see those same traits in both of his sons, Matt and Adam.' 

Accident: Matt shared photos of his motorcycle crash and recovery on Instagram

Accident: Matt shared photos of his motorcycle crash and recovery on Instagram

Brotherly love: Matt moved in with Adam when he was released from the hospital

Brotherly love: Matt moved in with Adam when he was released from the hospital

As for Adam's health, they wrote; 'Adam has been making great progress but has a very long and difficult road ahead. 

Watching Adam taking care of his brother after the accident will prove how close they truly are .

'He is currently breathing with a tracheostomy and is beginning to have sensation and movement in his arms. 

'He has been able to take breaths over the ventilator and doctors are hoping within the week he will be strong enough to breathe on his own, allowing him to speak again.'

This after devoting the past few months to helping his brother.

'Watching Adam taking care of his brother after the accident will prove how close they truly are. Cooking him breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, helping him in and out of the car, carrying him on his back up and down stairs, helping him stretch, and the countless other times Adam has helped his brother shows how dedicated they are to each other. 

'Besides being born as brothers, they’re also best friends. They are now both paralyzed with complete spinal cord injuries, they are in this together.'

Pain: The extent of Matt's injuries are seen after his November crash as he lays in a hospital bed

Pain: The extent of Matt's injuries are seen after his November crash as he lays in a hospital bed

An X-ray shows Adam's  injuries
An X-ray shows Adam's  injuries

Up close: A look at Adam's X-rays after the accident on Sunday

All too similar: Adam's back as seen in a photo taken this week. He sustained his injuries in a swimming accident

All too similar: Adam's back as seen in a photo taken this week. He sustained his injuries in a swimming accident

Adam - who was just one semester away from graduating college with a degree in geology - is currently awake but cannot speak or eat.

He appears to have been extremely athletic, posting numerous photos to his social media accounts following his workouts.  Most of his other photos were of cars he had been working on.

Adam was also a fan of skating, speaking about how much he enjoyed to longboard in an interview with the Western Herald last year. 

Mary Chaffee Grantham - the sister of Adam and Matt - told The Blaze that she was in disbelief when she got the call about her brother on Sunday. 

'Just complete shock. It didn’t seem real,' she said.

Fitness: Adam would post photos of himself after some of his workouts

Fitness: Adam would post photos of himself after some of his workouts

Before: The brothers are seen here hanging out before the accident

Before: The brothers are seen here hanging out before the accident

Now and then: Adam shared a photo on Instagram of his three siblings when they were children and now

Now and then: Adam shared a photo on Instagram of his three siblings when they were children and now

'It's going to be extremely difficult, but I think he's the kind of guy that will stay positive through it,' said Matt Chaffee. 

'Now it's like we both have this life sentence of disability, so now we have to deal with it together. We can help each other along the way.'

The page meanwhile has already raised $30,000 of their $50,000 goal as of Friday morning. 

'I think I can take care of him; it's going to be kind of funny seeing a paraplegic taking care of a quadriplegic,' Matt said in an interview with WWMT

'It feels like we are in on this together. We were hoping they will find a cure for paralysis. Until then we have to tough it out.' 

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