When he was 14, while attempting to hook up an antenna to a home-built radio tower on the roof of his family home, Jim accidentally made contact with a power line. The resulting power surge sent 240,000 volts through his body, breaking his neck which rendered him a Quadriplegic and knocking him off the 30-foot-high roof. He was unconscious for days and remained in the hospital about a year before he was sent home.