Great Neck man defies odds to walk again after breaking neck when falling off swing
Seth Kurpiel was at a playground with his son in April 2025 when he fell head-first off a swing, leaving him paralyzed from the shoulders down.
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A Great Neck man defied the odds and is walking again after breaking his neck and becoming paralyzed from the shoulders down.
Seth Kurpiel, 47, was a big athlete and loved every sport.
"I used to set my alarm for 5:42 a.m. and I'd be out the door by 6 a.m. after brushing my teeth, feeding my cats and drinking a pint of water and going for a 5-mile run," Kurpiel said.
But last year his life changed in an instant.
Kurpiel was at a playground with his son in April 2025 when he fell head-first off a swing, leaving him paralyzed from the shoulders down.
"It was the scariest moment of my life because I could not get up," Kurpiel said.
"His spinal cord was completely bruised and put on stretch. And so immediately after the fall, he was unable to essentially move," said Sheng-fu Larry Lo, chief of spine surgery at North Shore University Hospital. "He beat the odds to be where he is now."
It's been a long road to recovery for the father of two and often a hard one.
"I've come to try to celebrate the little wins," Kurpiel said. "Just being able to grab a toothbrush and reach the front of my teeth is a little win."
"Seth's determination and fortitude really was half the battle in him getting as far as he has today," said Kurpiel's wife, Morgan Kurpiel.
That determination is needed as Kurpiel continues rehab through Northwell's STARS Rehabilitation.
"My goal six months ago was I just wanted to hug my wife and my children," Kurpiel said. "I can almost get my arms up to a pretty good hugging height."
Thursday, he walked back into the hospital using a walker to thank the doctors, nurses and rehab specialists who saved his life.
"I hope to be just gaining more independence, just relying on other people to help me less and less all the time," Kurpiel said.
