SPOKANE, Wash. — An 18-year-old who spent nearly a month in the hospital after being struck by a drunk driver has a message for motorists: don’t drink and drive.
Spencer Rodgers was released from the hospital after being hit by a drunk driver in early September. The crash broke multiple bones and nearly left him paralyzed.
Rodgers had a green light to make a turn at the intersection of Sunset Drive and Government Way when he saw another car coming toward him.
“I look to my left and all I see is this blue car just coming at me. Just coming at me and I remember seeing it kiss my door and everything just went black from there,” Rodgers said.
The next thing Rodgers remembers is waking up in the intensive care unit as the pain from the crash began to set in.
“I just remember realizing, my teeth are missing, I can’t move my legs, I can’t do none of that. Most of the trauma and realizations didn’t hit me until later on,” Rodgers said.
Police told Rodgers’ mother, Tiffany Burson, that the driver has been arrested. The crash brought back difficult memories for Burson, whose oldest son was also hit by a car as a pedestrian years earlier.
“I was mad. I was like, ‘why? I don’t understand this.’ And then just watching him and seeing him in the ICU and seeing him wanting to get up but he can’t,” Burson said.
Rodgers suffered a broken pelvis, a fractured leg, collapsed lung and several other injuries. He had to go through multiple surgeries over the course of three days.
Despite the severity of his injuries, doctors estimate his full recovery will take about six months to a year. He will be able to walk again and make a full recovery.
The experience has given Rodgers a powerful message he hopes will reach other drivers.
“I hope that if someone sees this, they decide not to do that, not to drink and drive. That’s really it. It was a very traumatic experience but I kept strong throughout it,” Rodgers said.
“Don’t drink and drive. Do not be inconsiderate because there’s kids, you could take their life away,” Rodgers said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Rodgers’ recovery. You can make a donation by clicking here.
*If you are considering a contribution to a GoFundMe account, please proceed at your own risk. KXLY.COM cannot assure that money deposited to an account will benefit the persons you desire to benefit
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
