LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Marking a major milestone in an ongoing battle to recover, Bullitt County paramedic Gary Lyons finally returned home Wednesday.
Lyons spent three months fighting for his life in the hospital.
Moments before staff at Frazier Rehab Institute lined the halls with support signs and beaming smiles to send him off, Eric Kerr, Lyon's son-in-law, spoke candidly about the challenges at the beginning.
"I don't want to say we wrote him off. But it did not look good at all," Kerr said. "Seeing that change, that transition from day one to today -- it's just mind blowing."
Lyons was critically injured in a crash back in June at the intersection of East Chestnut Street and Brook Street. At the time of the incident, the 61-year-old paramedic was actively caring for a patient during an EMS run.
According to police, a semi truck crashed into the ambulance, throwing Lyons out from the back of the vehicle.
The LMPD Traffic Unit is still investigating the collision.
Dr. Darryl Kaelin, director of the Frazier Rehab Institute and Lyon's doctor, described his injuries as "horrific."
"The human body is both very frail, and yet very resilient. The fortunate thing is he's making a great recovery, and he's come a long way in the time that he's been with us," Kaelin said. "He's going to get to a point over the next few weeks and months where he's much more independent, so this is nothing short of a miracle."
Kaelin said Lyons suffered multiple fractures and a severe brain injury as a result of the crash.
"[Looking back] I'm not sure what would have helped, but I'd say it's going to be okay in the end," Kerr said. "We had a lot of positive thoughts, but it's really hard after somebody sits in the ICU for that length of time."
For the family, Kerr said through pain comes perspective.
"You don't know what tomorrow brings. Tell your friends, your family, you love them," he said. "This could have ended a totally different way and you just don't know what's going to happen day to day."
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