Teen left unresponsive from car accident regains ability to speak
By Megan Mellado
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OSCEOLA COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — Christina and Ed Verdecia said their 16-year-old son Jacob Verdecia was in the backseat of a car with friends when the driver lost control on the turnpike earlier this month.
They said Jacob Verdecia wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and that the crash left him in a medically-induced coma with brain injuries.
He’d been unresponsive in the hospital, but Sunday he opened his eyes, started moving his hands, responding to commands, speaking and smiling.
“It was like we just had a brand new baby being born. It was great. I was very happy. He had a lot of friends here from his basketball team and the St. Cloud community. They came to visit him. We’re glad it happened when they were here, so they were able to experience the same thing. It was a great feeling,” Ed Verdecia said.
Jacob Verdecia has had tremendous support since the accident.
His parents shared a photo with WESH 2 News of the community gathering for a vigil outside his hospital room.
Then this past weekend, his high school’s football team showed their support at Friday night’s game with signs, a moment of silence and Jacob Verdecia’s strong bracelets.
Another photo shared with us shows the wall inside his hospital room full of handmade signs reminding him of how loved and supported he is.
“When he was awake, he saw all the posters that the girls had made him at school and we hung them up on the wall. He was pointing at them. It was great,” Christina Verdecia said.
The Verdecias said results from a C.T. scan are showing even more improvement.
Their message to the community is still to always wear a seatbelt.
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