Our friend and client Damon Blanchard is like George Plimpton: always trying something new!
Born and raised in Columbus, Damon loves “Jeopardy,” cooking, working out, his daughter Zoë, and his two little dogs, Tina and Hazel. He’s studied massage, driven for Uber and Lyft, inspected trucks, worked in data entry, and is a notary public.
In January 2019, he worked as an office manager at an international recycling company in Columbus. This is an enormous operation, recycling tons of material each hour, everything from plastics to metal. One frigid, rainy, wintery day, the yard supervisor asked him to help guide a 5,000-pound steel cover onto a drive cylinder on a 550-ton sheet metal baler. A baler compresses materials into tight rectangular bales. While one worker ran a crane with a magnet, two other workers were helping by guiding and spotting as the cover moved into place. Possibly because of the rain, the cover slid down off the baler. From instinct, Damon put up his hands to catch the cover, forcing him into a squat and pinning him between a guardrail and the cover. The tendons in his knees were blown out.
Client Successfully Recovers From Work Injuries After Winning Case
Damon required several surgeries and more than two years of therapy before he could walk again. He also needed counseling for depression as the severity of his injuries prevented him from working, socializing, or enjoying hobbies such as hiking and tinkering. 
As Damon slowly recovered, he realized it might be worthwhile to consider a new line of work. He took up a career as a housing rights advocate. Who knows? With his passion for this cause and his willingness to try new things, we may see Damon on Columbus City Council someday!
