MINNEAPOLIS — A local teenager is making a remarkable recovery after being hit head-on by a wrong-way driver.
There was a point when Henry Nelson wasn't sure he'd walk again, but just three months later, he's doing much more than that.
On Friday, Nelson moved into the dorms at Augsburg University in Minneapolis. The sophomore is also running cross country for the school.
"First thing I did was wiggle my toes, just to make sure I'd be able to walk," said Nelson. "I had a fractured rib, I had a spleen issue and some sort of foreign object punctured my knee and I had to have surgery to patch that up and clean it out."
The crash happened back on May 10 and authorities say it killed the other driver - a 61-year-old woman from Superior, Wisconsin. They're still investigating what caused the crash and haven't discussed if alcohol was involved. Nelson was alone in his car and had to be airlifted to a local hospital.
"I feel like if I were to focus on why did this happen to me, this is so dumb, I would just be holding myself back," said Nelson. "I just focused on what I can be doing to get back to normal."
Running for Nelson was always a release - a sport he excelled at in high school and then continued his first year in college. His coach, Nick Larson, calls him motivated and driven.
"It's just a challenging sport to do," said Larson. "The fact that he's not only on campus, but he's already been running throughout the summer is just amazing."
The 19-year-old was confined to a wheelchair, then a walker, eventually a crutch, and finally a cane. Doctors have since given Nelson the all-clear to do what he does best.
"It was kind of like unlocking a new level in a video game or something like that because I was basically moving up and getting better each day," said Nelson.
"It lifts everyone up, like we're all feeling a little more encouraged that Henry's back and he's back to normal," said Larson.
Nelson officially starts school on August 30, but maybe more meaningful is his first cross-country practice, which is tomorrow.
If you'd like to help him and his family with medical expenses, they did start a fundraiser that you can find a link to here.
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