Maximiliano Rodriguez, 16, of Patterson is out of a coma and healing from brain stem and major upper body injuries in connection with a Nov. 9 crash.
Rodriguez’s uncle and Patterson resident Jerry Ortiz said Tuesday, Nov. 20, that his nephew was out of the Doctors Medical Center’s Intensive Care Unit and had begun to talk.
“He was hanging on by a thread for a while,” Ortiz said. “It’s a miracle he made it.”
After a medical helicopter transported Rodriguez from the crash scene to the hospital, he had a seizure, and doctors put him in a coma to ease pressure on his brain, Ortiz said. He said his nephew’s brain was swelling because of a bruise on its stem.
Rodriguez also suffered damage to his lungs, Ortiz said.
California Highway Patrol officer Eric Parsons said Nov. 13 that Rodriguez was heading west on East Las Palmas Avenue at about 2 a.m. Nov. 9 when the black Nissan SUV he was driving veered off the roadway near Chestnut Avenue and struck three palm trees.
Ortiz confirmed the vehicle rolled over at least twice.
The reason for the crash is unknown and remains under investigation. Neither alcohol nor drugs were involved, according to CHP officer Jon Peregoy.
Contact Nick Rappley at 892-6187, or nick@pattersonirrigator.com.
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