A Florida man claims he was paralyzed after an alleged sewage leak in Titusville

TITUSVILLE, FL – From paddleboarding to paralysis, this is what happened to a 15-year-old boy in Titusville.

The victim is now 18 years old and is learning to walk again. After nearly three years of fighting, Rock Timmins and his family just settled their lawsuit with the city of Titusville.

His lawyers argued that the sewage spill in the Indian River Lagoon changed his life forever.

A few days before Christmas in 2020, Timmins went paddleboarding near Kennedy Point Park. A few days later he was paralyzed. Doctors said that his family’s bacteria that originated in the lagoon were to blame.

FOX 35’s Esther Bauer met Timmins in Cocoa Village and quickly learned he wasn’t taking any steps for granted.

“You don’t really know what you’ve got until it’s gone,” the 18-year-old said.

He lost the ability to run and walk without braces. He lost the ability to move his lower body four years ago, a few days after paddleboarding in the IRL.

He was 15 years old, and his whole life changed.

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“At that point, not only could I not move my legs at all, but if I pinched my leg, I wouldn’t feel any pain,” Timmins said.

His legs buckled and he was rushed to the hospital.

In a lawsuit filed by his family, attorneys said his “attending physician advised him that this type of bacterial infection was likely caused by a sewage spill in the city of Titusville.”

He spent two months in the Nemours Children’s Hospital. He underwent chemotherapy, blood transfusion and spinal tap.

“They found bacteria in my cerebrospinal fluid,” Timmins recalls.

The lawsuit also says the child had no idea when he was swimming in the city of Titusville, “just released 7.2 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Indian River Lagoon.”

Titusville City Council voted unanimously in September to approve a $70,000 lawsuit with the family.

Leaders also promised to change course.

“We have $40 million for infrastructure, and I agree. I’m very glad we’re moving forward, but I don’t think it can be said enough, it can’t happen again,” said Titusville Mayor Dan Diesel.

Timmins hopes that never happens.

“Justice has been served in my case,” he said. “I think, especially with this interview and the spread of it.”

The young man says he is sharing his story to spread awareness about cleaning up the lagoon and keeping it safe.

“The city of Titusville has a lot of work to do,” he concluded.

In addition to settling the family’s lawsuit, the city was also fined $200,000 for the sewage spill by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

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