A Missouri teen was instantly paralyzed after being crushed by 1,000 pounds of tables while working for an events company while adjusting to life in a wheelchair.
Jordan Ayers, 18, was just three weeks into his new job when several tables fell on him in a truck on June 8 in Pacific, Missouri.
As he grabbed that one, the rest of the folding tables fell over, causing him to hit his head, throw it back and hit his neck.
Ayers had just graduated from high school and was celebrating his birthday before the life-changing incident. Since then, he has gotten stronger during rehabilitation and hopes to one day walk again.
‘You have to be positive when you are like that, but everyone helps me a lot. They brighten my day every day,” Ayers said KMOV.
Jordan Ayers, 18, was crushed by 1,000 pounds of tables in a box truck on June 8 in Pacific, Missouri, during his third week at an events company.
Ayres has now been released from the hospital and is in rehab five days a week and has some more mobility in his body
The teen said he knew he was “immediately paralyzed” after being struck by a piece of metal in the company’s box truck.
According to his mother Tabitha Hardy, the impact of the crush pushed his C5 intervertebral disc into his spinal cord. The C5 disk is located in the lower cervical spine, in the neck area.
The teen told his mother that he could no longer move once he was crushed. His shoulders and elbows were immobile and he could only communicate by speaking words.
Ayers has left his job at the events company, which has not been named but is based in Fenton, Missouri.
His mother told him KSDK in June that she didn’t hear from the company after the accident.
‘They didn’t say anything. They didn’t contact me and say sorry. They didn’t give me his last check. Nothing at all,” Hardy said.
The teenager has adapted to his new life as he spends five days a week in rehab and has become wheelchair-bound.
‘I was scared because I didn’t want to be like that. It’s different when you’re sitting in a chair,” he said.
Ayers had just graduated from high school and was celebrating his birthday before the life-changing accident
His mother, Tabitha Hardy, said in June that she has not heard from the event company after the accident and that her son has not received his final paycheck.
The Jefferson County community has been extremely supportive of both Ayers and his family during this difficult adjustment. Kevin Wilson, a school employee who knew Ayers when he was a student, jumped in almost immediately to help.
‘This boy had so many goals and such a bright future. I knew automatically that I had to try to help him,” Wilson said.
The resource officer then shared Ayers’ story with Sam Muehlenbeck, a school district employee who also wanted to help.
“As a mother, I immediately thought, ‘Man, this could have been my son,’ so whatever I could do to help, I was going to do,” Muehlenbeck said.
Wilson and Muehlenbeck then decided that the teen and his family needed an accessible driveway at their home that Ayers could use.
With the help of Muehlenbeck’s husband and a crew, a ramp was installed outside the family’s home.
Materials for the ramp were donated by Lowe’s and a shed was also donated as a place to store all of Ayers’ supplies.
The teenager said he is “very grateful” to everyone who helped and hopes he will one day be able to walk again.
The teenager said he is “very grateful” to everyone who helped and hopes he will one day be able to walk again
With the help of a school resource officer and a school district employee who knew and heard Ayers’ story, they donated and built a driveway for him outside the family’s home.
Ayers’ mother also said that he has suffered from depression during this long and painful journey, but has also received help for it
“Whenever I first got hurt, I couldn’t move except shrug my shoulders a little bit. Now I have most of my arms and can do a lot more,” he said.
His mother also said that he suffered from depression during this long and painful journey, but also received help for it.
‘You have to be positive when you are like that, but everyone helps me a lot. They brighten my day every day,” Ayers said.
a GoFundMe page was created to honor the teen and his family as they continue with their new way of life.
On November 8, Hardy posted an update to the page revealing that the donated money helped the family stay with Ayers in the hospital before he returned home.
‘He’s so strong. I am so proud of his achievements and strength in such a traumatic situation,” his mother said on the donation page.