Woman: BRAD, ARE THE LIGHTS ON IN THIS ROOM?
NO.
OKAY. WHY DON'T YOU LOOK AROUND?
CAN YOU LOOK UP OVER YOUR HEAD...ARE THOSE LIGHTS ON?
YEAH.
GOOD.
Man: WELL, I DON'T WEAR A HELMET TODAY
BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT 2,000 DEGREES OUT
AND IT MAKES DRIVING VERY UNSAFE, YOU KNOW.
SWEAT GETS IN YOUR EYES...
I FEEL LIKE I'M NOT A PART OF THE BIKE
WHEN I HAVE A HELMET ON.
Woman: IS YOUR NAME BRADLEY?
NO.
WHAT IS YOUR NAME?
MY NAME IS...[INAUDIBLE]
RIGHT, BRADLEY STONE,
SO THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION WAS “YES.”
[HORN HONKS]
Singer: WHEN YOUR HEAD HITS THE PAVEMENT, OR THE GROUND,
YOUR BRAIN IS GOING TO MOVE FORWARD...
HITTING UP AGAINST THE BONES INSIDE THE SKULL.
IT'S GOING TO DEFORM, IT'S GOING TO STRETCH NERVE FIBERS,
IT'S GOING TO TEAR NERVE FIBERS, AND THE TORN ONES ARE GONE.
WHEN YOU LOSE A BRAIN CELL, THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR IT,
SO THAT'S WHERE PERMANENT DAMAGE OCCURS.
IN FACT, PEOPLE WHO HAVE AN ACCIDENT LIKE THAT
OFTEN DON'T GET BETTER.
Woman: CAN YOU GIVE HER A WAVE?
Singer: THEY'VE LOST SOMETHING.
THEY MAY HAVE LOST SOME OF THEIR INTELLIGENCE.
THEY MAY HAVE LOST THE CAPACITY TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES
BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE TO THEIR SYSTEM
THAT CONTROLS THEIR MUSCLES.
THEY MAY HAVE A BEHAVIOR CHANGE,
HAVE DIFFICULTY DEALING WITH OTHER PEOPLE,
HAVING PROPER SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS.
IT'S ALL A CONSEQUENCE OF THAT UNPROTECTED SKULL
AND NOTHING TO TAKE UP THE SHOCK.
Woman: OKAY, YOU WANT TO KEEP ON GOING?
SO NOW I WANT YOU TO BE SERIOUS, OKAY?
WHAT'S THE FIRST EXERCISE THAT YOU USUALLY DO?
RIGHT.
OKAY, TRY TO TOUCH YOUR CHIN AND THEN TRY TO TOUCH YOUR NOSE.
OKAY...AND YOU WANT TO DO THAT 10 TIMES.
Mother: THIS HAPPENED TO JAMES THREE YEARS AGO
AND HE'S STILL NOT COMING BACK.
James: I WANT...[INAUDIBLE]
Woman: YOU WANT...
James: [INAUDIBLE]
Woman: YOU WANT ONE OF THOSE? OH, YOU WANT SOME FOR YOURSELF?
YOU RAN OUT? OKAY, GREAT.
SO JUST MAYBE TAKE A MINUTE TO BLOW A FEW OF THOSE
AND THEN WE'LL BE FINISHED FOR TODAY.
NICE JOB.
Mother: HE WAS RIDING ALONG THE ROAD,
BUT HE DID NOT WEAR A HELMET AND,
HE LOST CONTROL AND HIT A TREE.
HE WAS IN A COMA EIGHT MONTHS.
I MEAN, HE WAS SO SICK THAT...EVERY TIME I SAW HIM,
I DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER HE WAS GOING TO MAKE IT.
HE HAD LOST SO MUCH WEIGHT THAT HE WAS JUST A COMPLETE SKELETON.
THEY HAD TO WEIGH HIM IN A BAG.
HE LOOKED LIKE HE WAS FROM A CONCENTRATION CAMP.
EVERYTHING WAS SUNKEN IN.
I MEAN, I WAS FRIGHTENED SEEING MY SON LIKE THIS.
IT WAS HORRIFYING.
Woman: WANNA PUSH UP AGAIN? BRING YOUR WEIGHT FORWARD...
CAN YOU LOOK UP WHILE YOU'RE PUSHING? GOOD.
Mother: HIS GOAL IS TO GET BACK HIS SPEECH.
HIS GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO WALK AGAIN,
BUT IT'S VERY SLOW AND IT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.
THAT WILL NEVER EVER HAPPEN.
Woman: ...IF YOU FALL, I'LL BE RIGHT HERE.
I WANT TO SEE YOUR ARM COME STRAIGHT OUT, ALRIGHT?
EXTEND YOUR ELBOW, PLEASE. YOU'LL GET MORE POWER.
Mother: BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, JAMES USED TO CARVE.
HE DID BEAUTIFUL CARVING. HE WAS REALLY A CRAFTSMAN.
Woman: ...ANGLE STRAIGHT OUT,
LIKE YOU'RE ALMOST GOING TO HIT IT.
Mother: HE DOESN'T HAVE THAT CONTROL THAT HE ONCE HAD.
SO MANY THINGS THAT HE DOES WHEN HE FINALLY FINISHES
LOOKS LIKE A CHILD DID IT, BUT WE'RE DEALING WITH
AN ADULT THAT'S MAKING THIS MESS, YOU KNOW.
IT'S...IT'S SAD.
I HAVE ANOTHER SON AND HE'S HURT BY IT, TOO,
BECAUSE THEY WERE GREAT COMPANIONS
AND THERE WAS A LOSS WITH THE WHOLE FAMILY.
James: I WANT...
Mother: YOU WANT...TO GO...
OKAY, AND AUNT AMY...BUT WHEN YOU'LL BE WALKING AGAIN SOON...
Mother: IT'S A HARD THING AND IT'S VERY HARD ON THE FAMILY
WATCHING A LOVED ONE BE DESTROYED.
James: [INAUDIBLE]
Mother: THAT YOU...GO EAT...IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR YOU TO GO EAT.
Mother: HE STILL HAS A TUBE IN HIS STOMACH,
SO HE'S JUST STARTING TO EAT, VERY SLOWLY, PUREED FOODS
AND WE DON'T KNOW IF HE'LL EVER GO BEYOND THAT.
HE'S LOST HIS SENSE OF SMELL, HIS SENSE OF TASTE.
I TRY TO LOOK AHEAD NOW
‘CAUSE HE'LL NEVER BE THE WAY HE WAS BEFORE.
IT'S...I JUST CAN'T HAVE THE SAME PERSON BACK
SO I HAVE TO DEAL WITH JAMES AS HE IS NOW,
AND PROGRESS AND GET HIM AS FAR AS HE CAN GO.
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE IS A FUTURE FOR HIM.
I THINK THAT HURTS ME MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT HE WANTED TO DO IN HIS LIFE
HE CAN NO LONGER DO,
AND THIS COULD PROBABLY HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.
AT WORST, HE COULD HAVE HURT HIS LEG,
BUT HIS BRAIN IS, IS, IS SOMETHING THAT...
YOU CAN'T REPLACE IT.
HE'LL WEAR A PROSTHESIS,
BUT HIS BRAIN WILL NEVER COME BACK TO THE CAPACITY
THAT IT WAS BEFORE.
THERE IS NO CURE FOR BRAIN INJURY.
A BRAIN INJURY IS FOREVER.
WE CAN TEACH SOMEONE STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH THEIR HANDICAPS,
BUT THE ONLY EFFECTIVE APPROACH IN DEALING WITH HEAD INJURY
IS PREVENTION...NOT TO LET THE INJURY OCCUR IN THE FIRST PLACE.
SO HELMET LAWS, THEY'RE A NECESSITY.
Mother: BECAUSE I KNOW SOMEBODY'S GOING TO BE STUPID--
I MEAN, JUST AS JAMES WAS-- JUST BE STUPID AND SAY,
“COULD NEVER HAPPEN TO ME.” WELL, IT DID...
AND IT HAPPENED TO ME.
HELMETS DON'T LOOK GOOD.
I HATE TO SAY IT; THEY JUST DON'T LOOK GOOD.
IF YOU DON'T WEAR A HELMET,
YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON THAT'S INJURED.
YOU'RE NOT DOING ANY INJURY TO ANYBODY ELSE.
‘CAUSE WHAT'S THE USE OF HAVING A $20,000-BIKE BETWEEN YOUR LEGS
IF PEOPLE CAN'T SEE WHO'S RIDING IT ANYWAYS, RIGHT?
FREEDOM OF CHOICE, THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT.
[”BLACKMAN REDEMPTION” PLAYS]
CAPTIONING PERFORMED BY HENNINGER DIGITAL CAPTIONING