How my life changed after the car accident

By Ryan Byars
November 14, 2019

Can I still play the sport I love? Will I still go to college for the sport I love? Those were some of the questions I asked myself after Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016. 

I was in the 12th grade when this happened. My life- changing experience.  It was my senior season for basketball and it was a huge season for me. I had a few colleges looking at me. The year before we won a state championship, and I wanted to lead my team to back-to-back state championships. 

That was my goal all summer getting ready and I knew I was ready. I knew I was about to have a big season. 

 I just got my license the summer going into 12th grade and just got a car one month before the accident.  

On the morning of Saturday, Dec. 28, I was on my way to my girlfriend’s basketball game. I was driving to merge onto the highway when it happened.   

 It happened so fast. I didn’t even see it coming. I heard it. Then everything went dark. 

I opened my eyes and everything was blurry. I was laid out on my back. I tasted blood in my mouth. I was scared, I couldn’t feel my legs or my hands. I started telling myself it was a dream and this wasn’t real. 

Picture of my car. Picture by Ryan Byars

I was the youngest in the car accident and I took most of the hit. I was aware that everybody was trying to help me and the ambulance was on its way. I finally stood up and walked around to see the car scrunched up like a piece of paper.

The average number of car accidents in the U.S. every year is 6 million. According to driverknowledge.com, More than 90 people die in car accidents every day says, 3 million people in the U.S. are injured every year in car accidents. Around 2 million drivers in car accidents experience permanent injuries every year.

After the car accident, my whole perspective changed on life.” Any day could be your last in this world. I became more appreciative of everything: my family, friends and the sport I loved to play.

I started having lower back issues after the accident. It started to hurt my performance on the basketball court. When I first got into the accident I didn’t tell my coaches. This was my last year of high school basketball. This was my last year to prove to college coaches I could play at the next level.  

My coaches started asking me why I wasn’t playing as I play. I ended up telling them about the accident and my back problems. 

My back problems were getting so bad it was tough to sit in class. My back would start hurting, I would always go use the bathroom just so I could walk around. I couldn’t really focus in class either. 

My coaches made me go to physical therapy. They gave me the news I didn’t want to hear. 

“Your physical therapy will be about 10 to 13 weeks and you won’t be able to finish your season,” the doctor said. 

This was the worst news for me and why I didn’t go to physical therapy at first. Sitting out my senior season was the hardest thing I’ve done. Seeing my team struggle without me and I couldn’t do anything about it.   

Picture of Ryan Byars his senior year in high school. Picture by Jordan Glascoe

I tell people all the time now to be grateful for what you have. It’s some people that lost everything because of one moment in their life. I now live life by the day. Everyday I make the best out of it. I talked to my loved ones every day now and tell them I love them every time before I get off the phone.   

  

 

 

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Ryan Byars

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