FAIR HAVEN, NJ — Paul Roberts has always been a strong man with a big heart, his friends say.
He is passionate about the sea, and is an avid fisherman, surfer and scuba diver. He’s a martial artist. He’s always worked worked hard – and for not much money.
But Roberts now needs every ounce of strength he has. He somehow survived 20 minutes of electrocution from wires near a tree he was trimming on his property in Long Branch in August.
His injuries from that are immense. And now he has come up against another big wall – his diminishing Medicare insurance coverage.
Ron Drazin of Fair Haven – a friend for 46 years and a lawyer at a large area law firm – recently set up a GoFundMe site to help Roberts pay for the uncovered portion of his medical treatments and for future renovations to his home so he can regain independence.
The goal is to raise $100,000 at least – but there’s a long way to go. And the medical expenses are mounting.
As Drazin explains on the GoFundMe page set up by himself and his wife Carrie, Roberts was electrocuted on Aug. 20. Drazin said the accident happened at a home in Long Branch. Roberts was in a bucket on a lift trimming a tree branch when he was electrocuted.
But the result was devastating.
The electricity entered Roberts’ body through his left shoulder, destroying the shoulder bone. It exited through his right leg, destroying the bone. His right leg had to be amputated below the knee.
“His body was in flames when the police got there,” Drazin said. He had fourth- and fifth-degree burns over 40 percent of his body.
He was electrocuted by a “live, primary wire at the top of a utility pole,” Drazin said on the GoFundMe site.
He was clenching the bucket as he was electrocuted, Drazin said in a separate interview. When the electricity stopped, he lost his grip on the bucket and fell 25 feet to the ground, fracturing his hip. Now he needs a hip replacement.
Roberts has special medical needs because he is still recovering from the burns, but he was transferred from an acute to a subacute facility because of insurance payment rules, Drazin said.
Drazin has a case is being filed before the Office of Administrative Law to challenge the change in care, but he found a good subacute facility in the meantime in Shrewsbury, although it still can’t provide the level of rehab and physical therapy Roberts needs.
Roberts faces more surgeries and rehab and then the challenge of eventually living on his own again.
Apart from the hip replacement and the amputation, he needs a shoulder replacement. Then he needs to learn to use a prosthetic for his leg, which will be difficult given his hip and shoulder problems.
Drazin recounted Roberts’ immediate hospital treatment on the GoFundMe site: “Struggling to keep him alive, he was rushed to Jersey Shore Trauma Center, placed into a medically induced coma, and flown to Crozer Burn Center in Philadelphia. After several weeks, he emerged from his coma and was transferred to Penn Presbyterian Hospital where his right leg was amputated below the knee due to charred bone. His left shoulder joint was removed due to severe burns and fear of infection. Additionally, his left ear was amputated due to severe burns. Paul suffered a fractured arm which required the insertion of a metal rod, a fractured left hip which is now pinned, and visual impairment. From Penn Presbyterian, he went to St. Barnabas Burn Center to treat his severe burns. Paul suffered major burns to both arms, legs, back, neck, and left side of his face and lips.”
But despite what seems like overwhelming medical odds, Paul Roberts is trying to stay true to himself and cope with injuries that are also emotionally devastating, Drazin said.
He has a 19-year-old daughter, as well as his friends like Drazin, who are there for him as he copes with what happened to him.
“Having once been a free spirit, he is now in a hospital bed in constant severe pain. At this time, it is still difficult for Paul to get out of bed because the Hoyer lift needed to lift him out of bed severely irritates his burned skin. Paul has endured multiple skin grafts,” Drazin said on the site.
Drazin said Roberts “always had the uncanny ability to make everyone feel like his best friend. He was the least materialistic person I’ve known and worked like a dog for minimal wages, just so he would feel like he was ‘doing right by people.’ “
Now Drazin is hoping the public will do right by his friend.
“Paul has and will continue to have extensive medical costs not covered by Medicare. He will need home renovations and most probably will never return to gainful employment. There is no worker’s compensation available due to the fact that this did not occur while he was in the course of his employment,” Drazin explained on the site.
He asked that the public donate to Paul Roberts “as generously as possible and share his story and plea for help with everyone you know.”
Once again, click here to connect tot he GoFundMe site to help.
