19-year-old in hospital 48 days after Bremond rollover crash

BREMOND, Texas (KWTX) - Channing Copeland, 19, has spent the last 48 days in the hospital, after a rollover crash on Highway 6 in Bremond on Sept. 23.

Copeland says he just woke up one day in the intensive care unit at Baylor Scott & White in Temple, having no recollection of the crash.

What happened in the crash

“I had to go to Midland. Me and my wife were on the way there, I was tired so she was driving. I don’t really remember anything after that,” Copeland said.

According to Copeland’s mom, Aileasha Ford, his wife swerved and lost control of the vehicle, causing it to roll.

“The truck driver behind her said it rolled about 15 times before it came to a stop. The gentleman whose house it was in front of said it was the loudest thing he’s ever heard,” Ford said.

Thankfully, Copeland and his wife were able to get out of the vehicle before it burst into flames.

“I was told that I crawled across the highway and then we laid there while my wife held me in her arms,” Copeland shared.

Family learns of the crash

Ford said she learned of the crash after calling her son to check in. When she couldn’t get ahold of him she called her daughter-in-law.

“The lady from the EMS took her phone and said that they had been in an accident,” Ford recalled.

But they wouldn’t tell her much else, Ford not realizing how serious the crash was until she reached a dispatcher while on her way to the hospital.

“She said well I just need you to know that they’ve done everything that they could and they just put him on a life flight, and so in my mind I was thinking oh gosh he’s dead,” Ford said.

Extensive injuries and multiple surgeries

Copeland miraculously survived, but he suffered collapsed lungs, a broken femur, a broken pelvis and lots of internal bleeding.

“The sharp bones from his pelvis, because it broke in so many places they lacerated and basically shredded everything in his lower abdomen,” Ford explained.

Copeland not even regaining consciousness until two weeks after the crash, undergoing seven major surgeries in the first six days.

“He was in surgery more hours than he was in his room,” Ford recalled.

Long road to recovery

As challenging and scary as this has been Copeland has refused to let it defeat him, improving little by little every day.

Just recently he was able to stand up for the first time since the accident, and soon they might finally be able to go home.

“Whenever they figure out my pain management, maybe a week or two,” Copeland said.

At home he will continue to receive medical care, including additional procedures and extensive rehabilitation, in hopes of making a full recovery.

If you would like to help support Copeland and his mom on this road to recovery, a link to their GoFundMe can be found here.