A Sequoyah County teen hospitalized in Tulsa with severe injuries following an ATV accident last year will return to the River Valley next week.
According to a report from the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office, on Sept. 1, Christian Mayberry, 16, was driving southbound on County Road 4750, five miles south of Muldrow when he ran off the road into a ditch. He was ejected 12 feet from his Polaris Ranger ATV.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers said Mayberry was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Mayberry's mother, Kim, said he is being treated for severe brain injuries which have left him unable to walk or speak.
Kim said her son has made progress over the past week - he is more alert and giving hugs and kisses. Mayberry was even able to stand with the help of his father and several therapists.
"They actually got him up on his feet for the first time in five and a half months," Kim said.
Mayberry is scheduled to be transferred to Methodist Health & Rehab in Fort Smith next Wednesday (Feb. 26), one day after his 17th birthday. Carol Heffley, an occupational therapist at the rehabilitation center, said they'll help Mayberry gain strength and mobility through a variety of exercises.
"[We will] try to get him where he can do the dressing, the bathing, taking care of himself, and then also interacting with his environment and doing the things that teenagers do," she said.
At the time of the accident, Mayberry was in his junior year at Muldrow High School. Kim said her family is looking forward to moving to Fort Smith and continuing her son's care closer to home.
"Christian can have friends come over there and visit with him, and they say that's going to be great for Christian," she said. "It will stimulate him to see them and hear these friends that he hasn't seen in a long time."
Mayberry's parents will also have the opportunity to secure housing in the Methodist Village where the rehabilitation center is located.
Police are still investigating the accident that injured Mayberry. Sequoyah County District Attorney Stacey Slaughter said no charges have been filed at this time, but a tip line is open and investigators are following all leads.
Anyone with information about the accident is urged to call 918-822-2901.