LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A man who lost both his legs after being hit by a drunk driver continues his long road to recovery.
“I was screaming out, ‘Why me?'” Riley McGowan recalled. “‘Why did something like this have to happen?'”
McGowan shared the moment his life changed forever when he a suspected drunk driver had hit him.
“I heard a screech and a bang, and I look up,” he said. “And next thing I know, five feet in front of me there’s an old Dodge Dakota.”
The 23-year-old was working in the median on Casino Center Boulevard when he said a drunk driver jumped the curb, slammed into his work truck, and ran him over.
“I remember trying to crawl away from the situation,” McGowan said.
Nearly two months and ten surgeries later, McGowan has lost both his legs and he’s doing his best to navigate this new normal he could never have imagined.
“We never know what is going to come up because of this,” he explained.
It’s been anything but easy, but McGowan hopes that by sharing his story, he can convince at least one person to think twice before getting behind the wheel impaired.
“Whether it be them getting in an accident, or them causing an accident and harming somebody else, there are going to be consequences to your actions,” he said.
As McGowan focuses on starting again, he is grateful for this second chance.
“You never know when your last second is going to be,” he said. “And that came very true for me one day.”
McGowan and his family have started a GoFundMe to help with his medical expenses.
The driver accused of hitting McGowan has since pleaded guilty to a felony charge of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm.
She also has two prior DUI charges and is expected back in court for sentencing on September 29.
