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Jon Wilhite
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Without the skilled teamwork of Fullerton Fire Department paramedics, UC Irvine emergency and trauma teams and dozens of other medical personnel, car crash survivor Jon Wilhite could not have survived his multiple life-threatening injuries, trauma chief Dr. Michael E. Lekawa and orthopaedic spine surgeon Dr. Nitin N. Bhatia tell Angels Radio AM 830.

Wilhite was the sole survivor of the crash on April 9 that killed Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart a few hours after he’d pitched six scoreless innings. Wilhite, Adenhart and friend Henry Pearson were riding in a sports coupe driven by Cal State Fullerton student Courtney Stewart, 20, on their way to a dance club when her car was hit shortly after midnight by an alleged drunk driver who ran a red light. Stewart and Pearson, 25, were killed at the scene. Adenhart, 22, died in surgery a short time later.

The UC Irvine doctors explain that Wilhite, 24, not only suffered a neck injury that required titanium roads and screws to fuse his skull and spine, but also two collapsed lungs, broken ribs, a broken scapula, a fractured lower spine and severe brain bleeding.

Click here to listen to the interview. »

Click here to read more about Jon Wilhite’s against-the-odds recovery. »