A 22-year-old Queensland man’s life was thrown into disarray after his car veered off the road with him asleep behind the wheel earlier this year.
Brad Knight had just moved north with his new fiance Erin, and the pair were looking forward to enjoying the next chapter of their lives together, The Courier Mail reported.
Now, two months on, Brad has woken up from his induced coma and is able to breath on his own, make noises and wiggle his toes – but there is a long road to travel for the diesel fitter.
‘He’s awake but he’s not there,’ his cousin Shay Paton said.
Brad Knight (left) is fighting for his life after a horror crash left him in a vegetable state
The 22-year-old fell asleep behind the wheel, and his car veered off the road in early August
Two months on, the diesel fitter (pictured with his family) remains in bed at Townsville Hospital, trying desperately to regain his brain function
Brad was put into the induced coma on the side of the road where he crashed. He had serious damage to his brain, spinal injuries, internal punctures and broken ribs.
His fiancee Erin Walz told The Courier Mail as time has gone on, Brad has left doctors amazed with his progress.
‘Once he got to the hospital, the doctors didn’t have much hope for him from day dot, they didn’t think he would make it beyond the two-week mark but he has and he’s improved, so we’re hopeful,’ she said.
The Queensland man has made great strides in recovering from his horrific injuries, but it is not enough to get him out of his bed in Townsville Hospital and into a rehabilitation program.
The Queensland man had only just become engaged to his fiancee Erin (right) before the crash
The pair had moved up north, but will need to move home as Brad recovers from the crash
His cousin, Shay Paton, says things ‘aren’t looking promising’ but that the family are hoping for a miracle
For Brad to be able to transfer to Brisbane to begin the arduous recovery process, his brain function needs to return. At the moment, he is still a ‘vegetable’, Ms Paton said.
‘Right now things aren’t looking promising, it’s honestly heartbreaking,’ she said.
‘You hear of miracles happening every day so we are hopeful, we are praying he’ll get better.’
In preparation for the expensive process, Brad’s friends and family have been donating to a GoFundMe, set up by Ms Paton to help pay for his hospital bills, moving bills and rehab bills.
‘The bills don’t stop, the ongoing costs don’t stop, and moving their lives back home and setting up to help with the recovery process won’t stop,’ she wrote.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Brad pay off his growing hospital bills as well as the cost of his rehabilitation
So far, Brad can breathe on his own, move his hand and make noises. He has far outlived the doctor’s initial prognosis of two weeks