Broken Back Does Not Stop SPI Man from Fishing

by Tony Vindell/LFN

Anglers have about four more weeks left to catch red snapper in federal waters as the 2019 season will come to an end at the end of this month for commercial vessels known as head boats.

For a South Padre Island man who made a recent trip aboard a boat owned by Murphy Charter Services, fishing offshore was quite an experience.

Tim Lippoldt booked a half day offshore trip with Murphy Charters and caught his two-fish limit of red snapper.

But unlike the rest of the anglers that lean from the boat railing dropping the lines into the water and waiting for fish to take the bait, he fished from an electric scooter.

The reason for that is that Lippoldt can’t stand or walk around a boat due to an injury he suffered about five years ago.

His broke his back in an accident outside Dallas while working under a Hummer that fell on him.

“I was in the hospital for about seven months and another five months in a nursing home,” he said. “It was a terrible accident.”

Lippoldt made a trip with a group of friends. Of them, Susan Dalton, stood by his side and he fished and got his limit.

During the nearly two-hour long trip to reach federal waters, Lippoldt could be seen grabbing a pole with both of his arms behind him.

The scooter was kind of moving back and forth as Lippolt bounced along.

When asked, how he was doing, he replied saying, “Just fine.”

Lippoldt said he really wanted to fish and decided to take the plunge.

“I had thought about going offshore fishing a hundred or more times,” he said. “I am now here but I think I will wait for a while before going again.”

Angler Remberto Arteaga said seeing Lippoldt aboard the boat on a scooter reminds him of the limitations people in similar circumstances or who are physically challenged have to go through in this part of the country.

He said one of his fishing pals suffered a gunshot injury below his waist years ago and has been fishing from a wheel chair ever since.

“We don’t have facilities to accommodate the people here,” Arteaga said. “I saw a pier in Corpus Christi that people in wheel chairs could fish from.”