My story started on 10/16/99. The accident happened two years ago and I still have no memory of that day. My father was a passenger in my pick-up truck, so he is my witness.

The day began as I was going to my sisters house for a family party. At one point I was on the Atlantic City Expressway and I witnessed another accident. This car ended up on the grassy medium between the Hywy. My pick-up truck was pulled to the shoulder of the road and I went to the scene to see if I could help. There was a woman with some young kids in the car so I stayed with them until the police arrived. After this I was returning to my pick-up truck. Someone was watching the original accident and I guess he was daydreaming. He slowed to almost a stop in the right lane. This caused another accident as someone ran into him. He lost control and came at my pick-up on the shoulder. At this time my father and I were just opening the doors to get back in and we were hit. According to the police report I was thrown about thirty five feet in the air. My pick-up truck was totaled. In fact, when I saw pictures of the cars my hair was stuck in his windshield. My father broke some ribs and had other injuries. He was put in an ambulance and I was put on a helicopter. At first I was told that I was combative and then unresponsive. The police at the original accident were there to call in a helicopter and had to stop traffic to land in the roadway. While this was going on we had a man come out of his vehicle. He was a docter and gave me an emergency trach so I could breath. This I was told saved my life. When I got out of the hospital I spoke to the woman who I stoppd to help in the original accident and she told me that a cop told her that I as gone at the scene. The helicopter took me to Cooper Hospital in Camden NJ, which I don't remember because I was in a coma for seven and half weeks. After Camden I was transferred to Kennedy and then to Hartwyck Hospital where I was a patient for about a year overall. These are both in Edison NJ.

Before the accident I was a truckdriver, but now I don't drive. There is a local hospital where I volunteer for two days a week and this is where I go for my monthly BIA meetings. My father had over forty years on his job and had to retire. When I was in the hospital I started in a wheelchair then a walker and now a cane. When I first came home I couldn't walk a few blocks but now I walk every day. This is tough but I'm about twenty miles a week now. When I came out of the coma I was like a baby and I lost all my strenght. My shed in the backyard is where I keep my weight bench and I used to just use the bar with no weights but now my strenght is coming back. With my walking, I also do my exercises and speak in a recorder for my speech. My new docter is a neuropsycologist and I hear many good things about them in the chatroom. I'm told that time heals, we'll see and I hope.

Email James