The Ritzville Adams County Journal - Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887

MILL CREEK — A former Ritzville man who broke his neck as a teenager here went on to become a physical therapist and opened his own clinic earlier this year.

Jim Shepherd, a 1998 graduate of Ritzville High School, was just 15 years old when he fractured his neck in a car accident that left him hospitalized in Spokane. Shepherd said the close-call left him wondering about his purpose in life. During the months of rehabilitation, Shepherd said he was impressed by his physical therapist at East Adams Rural Hospital, who really seemed to enjoy his work. Additional physical therapy after pulli...