Long road to recovery ahead for young Kansas crash survivor
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KSNT) - A Manhattan teenager who survived a deadly car crash last year is counting on family and friends to help him as he heals.
Jean Carlos, a 14-year-old from Manhattan who also goes by JC, was one of three people to survive a deadly car crash on Dec. 6, 2021, that claimed the lives of two other 14-year-olds: Kenni Cantu and Gaysha Alfred, both of Manhattan. Carlos, Cantu and Alfred were all students of the Manhattan-Ogden School district.
Carlos nearly became a third victim of the crash as he suffered from life-threatening injuries in the aftermath. The wreck left him with severe burns to much of his back and legs, lacerations to his internal organs, multiple broken bones and severe brain damage. He was immediately flown to Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City for treatment and was later moved to Children's Mercy for continued care.
Doctors kept Carlos in a state of forced sedation so that his body could heal and keep him from feeling any pain. He has only been able to wake up in recent weeks and begun to move around. While a full recovery from his injuries is still months, if not years away, Carlos' friends and family are supporting him every step of the way.
One man, Lawrence DeHart, the owner of DeHart Plumbing in Manhattan, has made it his goal to help Carlos and his mother, Betty, during this time by setting up a GoFundMe for Carlos' care and to help his mother with other expenses. DeHart is a longtime friend of Carlos' family and his own son, Aiden, has a close friendship with Carlos that continues today.
"Carlos is my son's friend," DeHart said. "He has spent dozens and dozens of weeks at our house over the years. I love him like he's my own child. He's an extended part of the family."
DeHart spoke with KSNT 27 News about Carlos' stay at Children's Mercy Hospital, describing it as a "back-and-forth" process. He went on to say that it's a surprise that Carlos survived the crash and is doing as well as he is now.
"He's still in the very beginning stages of recovery, his injuries were very severe," DeHart said. "In fact, I had a pretty candid conversation with a nurse yesterday, a lot of people in the professional staff didn't think he would make it. It just blows people away that he's there speaking in complete sentences with no loss to his personality or memory."
DeHart said that in addition to the physical injuries Carlos suffered, he is also contending with emotional injuries as well. Carlos battles with severe depression as he copes with the crash and his present physical condition.
While his injuries are extensive and serious, Carlos has been making progress recently such as finally taking a bite of solid food for the first time since the crash.
"That was a big deal," DeHart said. "You got to just wait for him and his body to tell you what he can do. Every day there are just these little micro improvements."
DeHart said that every day is an evaluation to constantly push Carlos beyond his thresholds and see how far he can get. Carlos will probably stay at Children's Mercy Hospital for three to four months minimum, according to DeHart, as he is facing an uphill battle with rehab. After spending months in a bed, Carlos will most likely face a difficult path to becoming fully mobile again.
To keep his spirits up, DeHart worked with other friends and family members and the Alms Group Real Estate to organize the production of a short video to remind Carlos that people haven't forgotten about him, and that he is still loved by those outside the hospital.
"Once he started to wake up a little bit, we were getting excited but then depression kicked in," DeHart said. "I reached out to his school and they put together a video. The Alms Group paid for a legit video to be put together of his friends giving him well wishes."
DeHart said that he has shown the video to Carlos on many occasions when he is feeling down. That video can be seen here.
Though Carlos is still facing months of recovery and rehabilitation, it is acts of kindness like the ones from his friends and family that will help him move past the car crash. To donate to the GoFundMe for Carlos' recovery, go here.