Last year’s Missouri Tigers football team enjoyed a remarkable comeback
season. But the team’s resurgence pales in comparison to the rebound
being made by one of its members from a traumatic
brain injury.
Just 10 months ago, he was a passenger in a car driven by a university
track and field athlete. Along for the ride was another football player.
Life changed dramatically when their vehicle was in a violent
car accident with an SUV.
His head struck the passenger side window in the crash, but the redshirt
freshman safety doesn’t recall the impact or the accident.
For days afterwards, he had problems with balance and mobility on his left
side. He lost 20 pounds in the aftermath of the crash and it became clear
that he would not be able to participate on the field in what would turn
out to be a magical year for the football team.
So he began rehabilitation with a fury.
He has progressed to the point where he hopes to be part of the team’s
special teams play in the 2014 season and maybe even get action with the
defense. He recently clocked the fastest 40-yard dash on the squad.
He knows that he, like all players, risks a head injury on every play,
but he also knows that the only way to fulfill his dream of playing pro
football is to not only get back on the field, but to excel.
While he knows he’s fortunate to get a second chance, many car accident
injury victims struggle for months, years or even a lifetime with the
aftereffects of their head injuries. For them, the battle isn’t
on the field, but rather with insurance companies over enormous medical
expenses, lost wages and more. That’s a battle in which most want
an experienced personal injury attorney on their team.
Source: Columbia Daily Tribune,
“From tragedy comes triumph,” David Morrison, April 19, 2014
