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Jon Wilhite
Patient

Jon Wilhite, lone survivor of the car crash that killed Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others, says he owes his against-the-odds recovery to orthopaedic spine surgeon Dr. Nitin N. Bhatia and UC Irvine Healthcare’s extraordinary medical staff.

Wilhite was gravely injured in the crash on April 9, 2009. The force of the collision broke the fragile bone and ripped the ligaments that attached his head and his spine, a condition known as internal decapitation. Dr. Bhatia said only muscles and skin held them in place.

Although Fullerton paramedics couldn’t see this internal injury when they extricated Wilhite from the wreckage, they did put an immobilizing collar on his neck before rushing him to UC Irvine Medical Center, Orange County’s only Level 1 trauma center.

After waiting several days for the swelling to subside around the spinal cord, Dr. Bhatia performed the delicate operation to fuse the 24-year-old Wilhite’s skull to his spine with a plate, rods and screws made of titanium.

Bhatia said 95% of patients don’t survive such accidents and the remaining 5% usually suffer profound neurological impairment. But the former Cal State Fullerton all star catcher, by contrast, has regained much of his speech and motor function, which continue to improve with therapy.

"John’s walking and talking and throwing the baseball," Dr. Bhatia told the Orange County Register. "His outcome has been remarkable, truly miraculous."

To read the Orange County Register article »

To view the Orange County Register video »

View the two-part segment that aired on Fox Sports West:

Part 1 »

Part 2 »

Learn more about Dr. Bhatia »