JUNO BEACH, Fla. - Doctors say a Palm Beach Gardens teenager may never walk again after a freak accident on the first day of summer vacation.
Justin Amico grew up by the water, but now the 17-year-old is in a rehab hospital recovering, and taking on the toughest fight of his young life. “My goal is to start walking again hopefully,” Justin said. “I can’t move my legs and my fingers are messed up.”
Justin is a student at William T. Dwyer High School. He’s now hoping to beat the odds after diving into the ocean near the Juno Pier on June 1. He hit the bottom and broke his C5 and C6 vertebrae. Doctors say Justin is paralyzed from the chest down. “I kind of slipped off of a little sand ridge and I kind of jumped too early and landed in the water where it was super shallow,” Justin said. “I heard a snap and passed out in the water.”
Justin was swimming with his friend, Scout LaRue. They’ve been best buds since they were babies. “I’m thinking is he okay, is he gonna make it because he was floating towards the pier,” LaRue said. “I went over to him and asked if he was alright and I tried waking him up, but he wouldn’t wake up.”
Lifeguards spotted Justin, and he was rushed to the hospital.
Nearly six weeks later, Justin is undergoing physical and occupational therapy in Jacksonville. Doctors tell his mom the likelihood he'll walk again doesn’t look good.
“They think that it will take a miracle, but we believe it is possible and we’re gonna try every day,” said Kelley Howell. “We have a lot of hope that one day he will get feeling back in his legs.”
Through the pain and struggle, Justin now wants to inspire others in a similar situation. “Everybody that has this injury, just stay positive and think about you getting better,” Justin said.
His mom, Kelley, hopes this serves as a cautionary tale, and she is now warning everyone never dive into shallow water. “It’s such a common injury that we discovered, people really need to be careful. Be careful diving or even jumping into the water,” Kelley said.
Justin just started researching colleges, and says he’s not giving up on his dream to have a career in science.
His family is now faced with a lot of medical bills. If you would like to help, visit their fundraising page at https://www.gofundme.com/justinamico.