Virginia Teen Suffers Paralysis after Drowsy-Driving Accident

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WUSA)-- This is how 19-year-old Kyle Preston describes the chain of events that changed his life forever on August 1, 2009.

Kyle says, "You close your eyes for a second and think you are blinking. You wake up and you are in a ravine; blink again, and you are in the hospital."

Early that morning, the Stafford County high school student got in his Pontiac to take a friend to a doctor's appointment. Unfortunately, he'd gotten very little sleep the night before. His parents didn't know that.

Gary Preston, Kyle's father, says, "I had no idea he stayed up all night, then turned around and got in a car and left."

Kyle fell asleep at the wheel on Route 17 on his way to Warrenton. The car flipped four times before crashing into the woods. Investigators believe Kyle may have depressed the accelerator instead of the brake once the car went out of control.

The accident crushed Kyle's seventh cervical vertebra and spinal cord. He arrived at the University of Virginia's Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center on a ventilator, with a tracheotomy, and with his head bolted to a "halo" device to keep his spine steady as it healed.

His rehab team had no idea how much movement he'd be able to recover. But day after day, Kyle amazed them all.

Physical therapist Marc Hengartner describes his patient this way: "Kyle is our superstar."

Stephanie McNerney, R.N., is the primary nurse in charge of Kyle's care and describes his transformation.  She says, "Now he has just come alive, he is so gregarious and kind. And he works so hard."

But Kyle is also working on raising awareness about the potentially disasterous consequences of driving impaired by lack of sleep. The night before his accident, he had stayed up late, texting his friends.

Now, he wants to warn others.

Kyle says, "Go to sleep, get a good night's rest. That way, you are aware whenever you drive."