Features Reporter
Photos courtesy Levi Willis
Turning 21 is arguably an American milestone.
While most celebrate with a newly-legal visit to the bar, Levi Tanner Willis was anything but enthusiastic on his 21st.
On September 14, 2013, around 7 a.m., Willis was driving home to Lakewood from Grand Junction to celebrate his 21st birthday with his family. At mile marker 89 on I-70, just outside of Rifle, his car hit a pool of water on the road. Willis slammed the brakes in an attempt to stop. As his car was spinning around, he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door to roll out. However, the car started to roll into the median and Willis was ejected out of the car through the opened door.
His body was tossed roughly 300 feet over the westbound lane and into a ravine. When his feet landed first in the ditch, the talus bone was ripped out of his right foot. As a result, his pelvis was shattered, several vertebrae were compressed and his lung was punctured.
Moreover, a chunk of his left cheek was missing and his eyebrow was cut. With his head caught on a cactus, Willis’ skin was pierced by the spines. Surprisingly, he did not suffer a concussion. Another driver saw the accident and reported it to police.
(Tire tracks are seen at mile marker 89 where Willis' car went off the road on I-70 outside of Rifle.)
Willis was initially treated at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction and underwent four surgeries in little over a month. Currently, he is on Dilaudid, a painkiller, Flexeril, a joint stimulator, and Ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic. Before, he was taking OxyContin and Oxycodone for pain and Tylenol and aspirin for fever reduction and blood thinning. He has also received shots of Lovenox, a blood thinner.
“I am required to use a bone growth stimulator right now to help my bones grow and stay strong, as well as speed along the healing process,” Willis said.
During physical therapy, he learned how to properly use a wheelchair and how to shower on his own. He then progressed into using a walker and arm crutches.
Just recently, Willis had another surgery for an ankle fusion. Throughout his recovery, he has been living with his parents in Lakewood and receiving follow-up treatment at the Swedish Medical Center in Denver. He is currently using crutches and expects to be walking by this summer.
“The crash has definitely made its impact on me, but overall I am the same person,” Willis said. “My standards for driving have certainly changed and as a result of the accident, and I will never walk the same. The only big change I can say is that my relationship with God has gotten stronger.”
Willis, originally from Idaho, moved to Grand Junction after graduating from Green Mountain High School in Lakewood. At CMU, he was majoring in music with double concentrations in music education and vocal performance. Willis’ goal is to become a high school choral director, and would eventually like to become a music teacher.
“I want to inspire kids to love and support music as much as I do,” Willis said.
(The wreckage of Willis’ vehicle after his Sept. 14 accident.)
If his health permits, Willis will be back at CMU this fall to continue his education. He hopes to return to Grand Junction where he lived for three years on his own. It was his home, he said, and he dearly misses it.
“I feel terrible that Levi is going through this difficult experience, but I am so happy that he survived what could have been a fatal accident,” Dr. Kathleen Ruhleder, a music instructor at CMU and Willis’ opera workshop teacher, said. “He is young and strong, and I know that he has the determination to get through this, to heal from his physical injuries and to get back to school. We miss him a great deal in the Music Department.”
Willis also plans to become a music minister for a church.
“I have always had a calling to be a youth pastor,” he said. Willis intends to attend seminary school in order to become a pastor.
“My calling has always been towards helping young adults, so overall, this is my plan,” he said.
Although Willis has enough on his plate, he is certainly not wasting any time. He is taking general education courses online at Red Rocks Community College—English Composition, Algebra and Philosophy of Religion—all of which will transfer to CMU when he is able to return.
Willis has advice for others who also might be experiencing adversity:
“It’s rough and it’s a long road ahead, but this is just a blip on the radar of your life,” he said, “Worry not, for there is a plan for you. Don’t let this control you. This is just a speed bump. It may slow you down, but it doesn’t stop you from going on.”
christinabauert@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
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