ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — After a road rage incident threatened his life, a Greeley man is fighting to regain his mobility and return home.
Justin Young, 31, was paralyzed after being shot in the spine by a driver in Greeley last month and has spent the weeks since in hospital beds across the Front Range. Now in therapy at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Young will soon learn from doctors if he has a shot at regaining his ability to walk.
Young was driving in Greeley the evening of July 16 with his fiancé and 10-month-old daughter when he says another man pulled up next to him, apparently to egg him on in a street race. Young was rear-ended by the driver.
“I got out to assess my truck,” Young recalled. “And then, there was a confrontation with the driver of that vehicle, and then it escalated more into him shooting me.”
The bullet went through Young’s armpit, hit his lung and liver, and lodged into his spine, paralyzing him. Court documents show that 19-year-old Matthew Longwell has been charged with second-degree murder for the incident, and posted $25,000 bond.
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“The first couple of weeks after the incident were really rough,” Young said. “It’s probably the worst [pain] I’ve ever experienced.”
Right now, it’s unclear if Young will be able to regain the ability to walk through therapy and rehabilitation. Denver7 was with him during a session this week, in which he was able to be upright for the first time with the help of a walker and brace. In the coming days, Young said he expects to hear from doctors if his spinal injuries are too extensive for full recovery.
While he works on his healing at Craig Hospital, his loved ones have started a GoFundMe to cover costs for himself, his fiancé, and their four kids.
“I was the sole provider for our family. I ran heavy equipment,” Young said. “I took care of the family, and she stayed home with the kids, you know, raising the kids and taking them to school and whatnot. So, now that I can’t work, it’s kind of a huge hit to us.”
To his fellow Coloradans, Young wants to share an extra warning about the dangers of road rage. He wasn’t even trying to engage with his shooter, he said, and still became severely injured. Had he tried to fight, he believes he could have died.
“I regret getting out [of the car],” Young said. “Because, you never know. You just never know what a person is willing to do.”
