Cray S.
I started riding dirt bikes as a kid and motorcycles in my early 20s. I had some minor drops and bumps over the next 30 years. On November 19, 2021, at 51 years old, I had a rear tire explode at 55 mph on backroads in Alabama. What I know of the wreck is from witness statements and police reports. I was life flighted to a hospital. I had cervical damage, broken vertebrae in my back, road rash and a traumatic brain injury. I was in a coma for 3 months, in hospitals for another 3 months, I tried to die multiple times, was given <20% chance to live, our pastor gave me last rights. I spent another 5 months in a wheelchair , then used a walker, then a cane and now I am training a service dog to help me with mobility. He makes me walk a minimum of 1/2 mile a day (No cane). I am not 100% but am so much better than I have been. I have been on (and put my family through) a wild ride over the last year and a half.
When I came out of the coma, a nurse asked if I’d ride again, I replied ‘if it’s up to me, I will’. My sons and wife told me ‘no more 2 wheels’. So…I compromised and picked up an older motorcycle with a sidecar as proof of concept. Getting it road worthy is just one more step putting those demons behind me and giving me hope for the future. I am so glad to be here and the past is behind me.
