On his feet: Averett carries on after motorcycle accident

A motorcycle accident may have shattered his jaw and smashed his knee, but SUU student Ryan Averett isn't letting the slow recovery crush his hopes for graduation.

Averett, a senior athletic training major from Cedar City, said he is continuing his studies this semester in order to graduate next spring, despite being unable get around without crutches or a wheelchair.

"I don't let a whole lot of things stop me from doing what I want to do," he said.

Living with his parents again and not being able to drive are the biggest adjustments in his recovery process, he said.

Averett said on Sept. 11 he was riding his motorcycle south bound on Main Street near 700 South when the driver of a pickup truck, also traveling south, attempted to make a U-turn in front of him.

In order to protect himself, Averett said he laid the bike on its side before he hit the truck going about 20 mph.

As the motorcycle collided with the street and the truck, the end of his femur was crushed at the knee and the handlebars of his bike spun around, smashing his jaw, he said.

Having been dressed only in a T-shirt and gym shorts and not wearing a helmet at the time, Averett said he is lucky to be alive.

He said he remembers the ambulance arriving and taking him to the hospital as well as the trip on a Life Flight aircraft to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Doctors decided he should be flown to the hospital in northern Utah because there weren't specialists in Cedar City capable of performing the surgery he needed, Averett said.

Averett's mother, Julie, said she felt overwhelmed on the flight.

"I didn't know what to think, I was too worried," she said. "It was a very draining experience."

After four days of recovery in Salt Lake City, Ryan Averett said he returned to Cedar City.

Because of his reduced mobility and special needs, he moved back in with his parents, he said.

Julie Averett said she and her husband Mark help drive Ryan Averett to and from school and the library so he can continue to study.

They also used to help feed Ryan Averett because he can't eat solid foods, she said.

His diet is still restricted to liquid or soft foods, but Ryan Averett said he usually fixes his own food.

Although doctors didn't wire his jaw shut, a titanium plate was installed in his jaw and Ryan Averett said it will still be some time until doctors can begin reconstructive work on his teeth.

After the initial surgery, it was tiring to talk and it took some practice to speak clearly, he said.

"Some words and letters are harder for me to say," he said.

Using a wheelchair on campus is easier than crutches because of the need to elevate his leg, Ryan Averett said.

"Campus is very accessible but I don't like going over cracks and things in the wheelchair," he said.

He will not be able to put pressure on his leg for another three months.

Despite the difficulties caused by his injuries, Ryan Averett said being so close to graduation was a "huge motivation" for his decision to continue this semester at SUU.

Dean of Students Neal Cox said Ryan Averett is not alone at the university.

The university works with students on a case-by-case basis to provide for special needs, he said.

Ryan Averett said his teachers at SUU have been "really amazing" in working with him, even coming to his house to tutor him after the accident.

"They showed they were more worried about me getting better than homework," he said.

Doctors expect a full recovery and Ryan Averett said he plans on competing next summer in the Utah Summer Games.

He also continues to work as a fitness center attendant on campus.

Shattering his shoulder while wrestling as a junior at Canyon View High School in 2000 and having a cancerous growth removed from his knee in 2005 are challenges that helped him learn to keep a positive attitude, Ryan Averett said.

His injuries have also given him a different perspective in his study of physical therapy, he said.

Learning hard lessons is part of his recovery, Ryan Averett said.

"I'd rather ride a motorbike than anything else," he said. "But from now on I'll always wear a helmet."