Teen left paralyzed by drunk driver defies the odds by regaining control of her right leg

Mae Beth Ruehling was 19 when a drunk driver slammed into her car in Coalmont, Tennessee, sending her into a lamppost that crashed onto her, breaking her spine. 

She was choking on glass, trying to call for help but no noise came out. 

Doctors said she would never walk again. 

Now, a year-and-a-half on, Mae Beth has managed to push past those bleak expectations to regain function of her right leg, and she is sharing her story to inspire others not to lose hope when they feel like they’ve hit rock bottom.  

Mae Beth Ruehling refuses to let the crash that paralyzed her define her life

Mae Beth Ruehling refuses to let the crash that paralyzed her define her life 

A drunk driver slammed into her car (pictured), sending her spinning and hitting a lamppost which fell and broke her spine

A drunk driver slammed into her car (pictured), sending her spinning and hitting a lamppost which fell and broke her spine

Mae Beth had been driving to do Christmas arts and crafts at a nursing home on December 4, 2017, when the drunk driver hit her head on. 

‘I remember everything,’ Mae Beth said.

‘I remember seeing the drunk driver cross into my lane. After seeing him, I tensed up because I knew that once he hit me it was going to hurt.

‘From being hit head on, I passed out and woke up to my car spinning. I was trying to look for my phone while my car was spinning so someone could tell me how I could stop my car from spinning.’

But the spinning didn’t stop. 

‘Knowing I had no hope, and no one could help me, my car hit a lamppost. The lamppost caved in on the driver’s side, which is what broke my spine.’

She passed out, for how long it’s not clear. When she woke up she tried to scream through the shards of glass in her mouth. She couldn’t see or hear anyone.  

Finally, a police officer turned up. He said he’d be right back – he was going ‘to catch the guy’.

‘I remember crying, telling him not to leave me because I was so scared. 

‘After lying on the ground for what seemed forever, I was just hoping to die because I was in that much pain.’  

When she arrived at hospital, Mae Beth immediately had a laminectomy surgery to relieve pressure from her spine

When she arrived at hospital, Mae Beth immediately had a laminectomy surgery to relieve pressure from her spine

Surgeons inserted four metal rods and eight screws into her spine

Surgeons inserted four metal rods and eight screws into her spine

Firefighters got Mae Beth out with a crowbar before sliding her onto a backboard. 

She was in and out of consciousness and she overheard paramedics say that there was no feeling in her legs.

The crash, followed by the impact of the lamppost, broke Mae Beth’s spine at T4 level, leaving her with a permanent spinal cord injury. 

When she arrived at hospital, Mae Beth immediately had a laminectomy surgery to relieve pressure from her spine. 

Surgeons then inserted four metal rods and eight screws into her spine.

She was awake, but with her eyes still closed, when doctors told her family that she may never walk again. 

She refused to believe that a person could break one bone and lose the ability to walk.

In the weeks that followed, Mae Beth started physical therapy, still doing it twice a week, and has since gained some feeling in her legs and is capable of walking one thousand feet with crutches.  

Mae Beth started physical therapy, still doing it twice a week, and has since gained some feeling in her legs and is capable of walking one thousand feet with crutches

Mae Beth started physical therapy, still doing it twice a week, and has since gained some feeling in her legs and is capable of walking one thousand feet with crutches

Mae Beth started physical therapy, still doing it twice a week, and has since gained some feeling in her legs and is capable of walking one thousand feet with crutches

‘Physical therapy was very difficult at first and I remember crying in pain. I felt heartbroken because I had to learn new ways to live my life,’ Mae Beth said.

‘My recovery has improved so much since. I can now walk up to one thousand feet with crutches. 

‘If you’d asked me a year ago whether I thought I’d be where I am now, my answer would have been no.

‘I recently gained function in my right leg, so I am now able to activate it and take steps. 

‘But I remember when the crash first happened, I had such a hard time just rolling over in bed, now I can walk short distances.’

Now she has an Instagram account, where she shares her experiences, and tries to connect with others in similar situations.  

‘Sharing my story on Instagram has helped me express my struggles and I have inspired others by showing them that it’s okay to have low points in life. You can overcome the low points and replace them with the highs,’ she said.

‘Just because you are in a wheelchair, it doesn’t mean your life is over. There’s always chance to have hope and faith – that goes for anything that happens in your life.’



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