PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — About a month after a fiery crash in Portsmouth, Calvin Harris is recovering at home, where he said he’ll need to spend multiple months recovering and undergoing occupational therapy.
“This hand has a full range of motion, like far as my wrist,” said Harris, whose skin grafting work done to his hands, arms and back were clearly visible. “As far as my fingers … I mean, they said I should get it back within, like, two, three months.”
Harris told 10 On Your Side that he has no memory of the crash that happened on Effingham and Lincoln Street in Portsmouth. All he remembers is leaving work for the day, then waking up in the hospital.
“When I first woke up … [I saw] my hands and then I saw my face,” Harris said. “Half my face was like, white.”
Like many others, he saw video on social media showing him trapped in the burning car for several minutes.
“I didn’t want to watch it, but I was just curious, that’s all,” Harris said. “But it was just like, wow, I don’t remember it at all. Even watching a snippet, it don’t bring nothing back,” adding, “two blood transfusions, staples, two surgeries, and this is it. This is what you get.”
It could take three months for him to return to his job as a security guard at Churchland Academy Elementary School. His left arm is less burned than the other. Fortunately, he is left-handed.
The tattoo of his brother, who was killed in a shooting a couple years ago is still mostly intact.
Harris loves football, and coaches for teams in the area. He felt good enough to back to coaching last weekend.
“Yeah, I don’t I don’t really do the tackling, I’m a defensive coordinator,” Harris said. “So I make up the plays, tell them what to do.”
He is keeping a positive mental attitude, even in the face of a long recovery and medical bills into the tens of thousands of dollars. But they are getting help from family, friends, and the GoFundMe page.
Harris said he is thankful no one else was in the car with him.