Click here for updates on this story
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — A 19-year-old involved in a crash that could have turned deadly is making major strides as he recovers at home.
Diavonta Chappell was headed home on Interstate 40 just before South Bunker Hill Road, westbound near exit 206, in the early morning of Aug. 20. It was raining, and Chappell’s car hydroplaned. His car hit a tree.
His mom, Dawn Green, says it took 30 minutes for first responders to get Diavonta out of the car. He was taken to Baptist Medical Center unconscious with serious spinal and brain injuries.
“He wasn’t alert,” Green aid. “He had a brain injury, a little bleeding on the brain, but basically his head wasn’t connected to his body.”
Chappell spent three weeks in a coma. He had collapsed lungs and wasn’t able to breathe on his own. After undergoing several surgeries to reconstruct his neck and spinal cord, the family said he started to get better, even beating the expectations of the medical staff.
“I’m just determined to get back to how I used to be, so I’m working really hard and just do everything that I need to do to get back right,” Chappell said.
His mom credits prayers, a good bill of health, a great staff at the hospital and the determination to get better to this miraculous recovery.
Chappell is currently wearing a neck brace, but he’s walking and his speech is back to normal. He suffered memory loss after the accident.
The family has a setup a Go Fund Me Account to help pay for medical expenses.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
