All Paul LaCorte wanted to do was drive home in time for the
county fair, now he’s struggling to walk again in a Colorado
hospital.
Hollister – All Paul LaCorte wanted to do was drive home in time for the county fair, now he’s struggling to walk again in a Colorado hospital.
The 18-year-old graduate of San Benito High School had been away attending mechanic school in Phoenix and was in a hurry to make the long drive back to his family. But LaCorte, and the two friends riding with him, never made it to Hollister on the night Oct. 2. He fell asleep behind the wheel of his truck, only to be shaken awake when the vehicle hit a road cone. LaCorte swerved to bring the truck back on the road, but overcorrected and lost control. When the truck overturned and slid down the dark pavement of Interstate 5, LaCorte fractured his spine. Although no other cars were involved in the accident and his two friends walked away without injury, LaCorte would face a long road to recovery.
That night, LaCorte went from being a fun-loving teenager with dreams of owning an auto shop to a wheelchair bound patient with titanium rods in his back and arm, struggling with the simplest of tasks. Since the accident, LaCorte has been staying at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., a leading facility in the country for spinal cord injuries. His days start at 7:30am with bed stretches and continue in a litany of life skills classes, doctor visits and physical therapy. He has recently began a driving class and remains optimistic about his recovery.
“It’s devastating to have this happen,” he said. “But I told the doctor I wanted to walk out of this hospital and that is my goal.”
LaCorte, who was studying auto mechanics at Universal Technical Institute in Phoenix at the time of the accident, is lucky for two reasons. He had insurance and Craig Hospital happens to be in his network of providers. Still the family is worried about the mounting costs of his hospitalization, which is scheduled to last until the end of the year. After LaCorte returns to Hollister, he faces at least another year of outpatient treatment, said his mother, Jeanette LaCorte.
“When something like this happens to your child, you don’t think about the cost, you just do what is necessary,” she said. “If we have to work our entire lives to pay this off, so be it.”
While Jeanette LaCorte doesn’t know the details of the hospital bill, she says the medical flight alone cost $10,000 since Paul had to be laid out and sedated.
Friends of the family have formed a fund-raising committee and have planned two events to help LaCortes off-set the costs of Paul’s hospital bills. A spaghetti feed is being held tomorrow at Spring Grove School from 5 to 7 pm and a Casino Night is scheduled for January 22, 2005 at Casa Maria Restaurant in San Juan Bautista. All proceeds will go to pay Paul’s medical bills.
Meanwhile, the teenager is concentrating on getting as much of his life back as possible. He recently took a step in that direction by making a breakthrough no one expected so soon: a month after the accident he wiggled a toe, then five and a few days later, his whole foot. These are mere details for most, but huge victories for a boy told he might never walk again.
“The accident changed everything and it’s no fun to have to put my life on hold,” said LaCoste. “But I am trying to make the best of it.”
Karina Ioffee is a staff writer for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected]
