How did Madison Cawthorn become paralyzed?

David Madison Cawthorn is an American politician who has represented North Carolina’s 11th congressional district in the United States since 2021. He was elected to Congress in 2020 as a Republican to replace Republican Mark Meadows. When he campaigned for reelection in May 2022, he was beaten by Chuck Edwards in the Republican primary.

How did Madison Cawthorn become paralyzed?

Cawthorn was critically injured while returning from a spring break trip to Florida in 2014, when he was 18 years old. He was a passenger in a BMW X3 SUV when his friend Bradley Ledford fell asleep behind the wheel near Daytona Beach, Florida.

Cawthorn’s feet were on the dashboard when the SUV collided with a concrete barrier. Cawthorn was  paralysed as a result of the tragedy, and he now uses a wheelchair. He claims he incurred $3 million in medical debt throughout his rehabilitation; he has received that amount as well as other payouts from an insurance firm.