HAMPSTEAD — Months after a violent wreck left a Hampstead man paralyzed, his family is still putting the pieces back together.
On Monday, Feb. 20, Collin McClearn was driving when another driver ran a stop sign and sideswiped him. The impact flipped McClearn’s truck and left him pinned inside the vehicle with a vertebra in his lower back shattered.
Five months later, McClearn said he’s done the best to put the wreck behind him, but the future is daunting.
“I’m taking things one day at a time,” McClearn said. “I went through some stuff, my family went through a lot, and I’m just taking it one day at a time.”
Immediately after the wreck, McClearn faced an arduous recovery. McClearn had recently gotten engaged to Briana Moyer and had become a father. His new family rallied around him as he was airlifted to Myrtle Beach for surgery. Doctors had to pin most of his back together. McClearn was stable, but paralyzed from the waist down.
Later, McClearn was moved to a facility in Atlanta for rehabilitation, but his recovery was delayed. Two broken ribs had punctured his lung causing it to collapse.
The expenses of McClearn’s treatment and rehabilitation have added up over the months since he began rehab. These have been difficult to cover, as have the costs of raising Abigail, McClearn and Moyer’s eight-month-old daughter.
Collin McClearn said he is still taking things “one day at a time.” Next week, he starts a new gym membership.
“Workman’s comp will cover a few sessions of a personal trainer,” McClearn said. “So, I can get started. It’s someone to show me the right way to do it, so I don’t hurt myself because I’ve never really done it before.”
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Building upper-body strength will be an important part of his rehabilitation work — retraining his legs to work will require an incredible amount of strength in his arms and chest. McClearn’s doctors haven’t given him a prognosis on the nerve damage in his spine, but he remains optimistic.
“The doctors like to just talk about the next 18 months, they don’t want to say too much or promise too much, in case that’s not the way it goes,” McClearn said. “But, yeah, I’m working on it. I’ll get there.”
This Saturday, friends and family have organized a fundraising event for McClearn and his family. Proceeds will help supplement McClearn’s GoFundMe drive, which has reached about half of its goal.
Family friend Lisa Stokes, who helped organize the event, said McClearn has a ”great attitude and is determined to walk again.” She said that McClearn and Moyer are doing their best to deal with expenses, but do need help. Stokes added that the two have had to put their wedding plans on hold.
For his part, McClearn said, “We’ve been so lucky and people have been so good to us. We’re grateful. We hope people come out and have a good time.”
McClearn, Moyer and Abigail plan to attend the event. It will be held this Saturday, July 15, at Captain Bill’s Backyard Grill from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Captain Bill’s is located on 4240 Market St. For information, including a line up of musicians, visit the event page here.
Send comments and tips to Benjamin Schachtman at ben@localvoicemedia.com, @pcdben on Twitter, and (910) 538-2001.
