Teen Crash Survivor on the Road to Recovery

Albert Miranda is a typical 17-year-old who likes watching TikTok and playing video games with friends. But for the last five months, he's been focused on his health following a traumatic accident that nearly ended his young life.

Miranda was riding home from school on a motorized minibike when he was hit by a vehicle and then dragged by a semitruck, resulting in catastrophic injuries. Initially rushed to a nearby Level II trauma center to be stabilized, Miranda had injuries so extensive and life-threatening that physicians there decided the best chance to save his life was to transfer him to Cedars-Sinai.

"As a Level I trauma center, Cedars-Sinai is prepared to deal with highly complex cases like Albert's," said Galinos Barmparas, MD, medical director of Trauma in the Jim and Eleanor Randall Department of Surgery at Cedars-Sinai. "Even with our team's extensive resources and expertise, it's still a miracle Albert is alive, with the injuries he sustained."

Major crush injuries to Miranda's left leg required an amputation up to his hip. He also had a broken pelvis, a damaged urethra, and he battled severe infections from wounds he suffered after he was dragged on the road. Miranda required more than 20 surgeries and the expertise of physicians across multiple specialties, including trauma, orthopedics, plastic and reconstructive surgery, urology, pediatrics, physical therapy, and more.

"I never thought I'd be in a situation like this in my entire life, but here we are," Miranda said. "But after, like, a long way coming, I've met new people here who've treated me well. And I'm actually glad that they wanted to work with me. ... So it made [Cedars-Sinai] feel like home."

Barmparas said more than 100 healthcare workers helped Miranda get to this point.

"Patients may survive the initial hit and the initial surgeries," Barmparas said. "But if they don't have the specialists and the resources, they may not be able to make it."

Electric and gas-powered bikes that can travel upward of 25 miles per hour, like the one Miranda was riding at the time of his accident, are a safety concern for Barmparas, who oversees trauma surgery at Cedars-Sinai.

"These vehicles are dangerous. I can tell you that I see motorized bike, e-bike and electric scooter injuries in the trauma bay on a regular basis," he said. "Patients come in all the time with traumatic brain injuries, facial fractures and other life-altering trauma."

The accident occurred in late September, so Miranda spent the winter holidays, as well as his 17^th birthday, in the hospital. But in that time, he has made tremendous strides in his recovery and has regained some mobility with the assistance of a wheelchair and walker.

"It feels a little surreal, I think, the progress that we have seen from him," said Romina Kim, MD, a pediatric hospitalist with Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's. "From not even being able to get out of bed to now walking with the walker. He's a completely different kid from the one that we saw six months ago. It's quite a miracle."

Now, after more than five months in the hospital, Miranda is finally being discharged from Cedars-Sinai to continue his recovery at a rehabilitation center.

"Next is actually the rehab," Miranda said. "I don't know how long I'll be there, but I hope it's a short amount of time so I can just get home already."

The Cedars-Sinai team recently celebrated Miranda's discharge with a celebration walk and send-off tunnel, waving pompoms and cheering him on as he made his way down the hallway of Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's. His physicians are encouraged by his resilience and how far he's come not only with his physical, but also mental recovery from this traumatic event.

"He has a lot of dreams and aspirations," Kim said. "And with the kind of attitude that he has, he can really become whatever he wants. I think he's going to do great things."

As for Miranda, he is looking forward to getting stronger so he can get back to his normal routine and spend time with his friends. Still, he says he'll miss his Cedars-Sinai care team.

"Everyone has been so supportive and that's what keeps me positive," Miranda said. "You know, if they want something good for me, I want something good for me as well."

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