Posted: Apr 18, 2012
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. –
A former quadriplegic fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams when he spent time assisting on a Corvette assembly line in Bowling Green, Kentucky on Wednesday.
While Patrick Rummerfield is not a full-time United Auto Worker, he is one of the most sought after motivational speakers in the country, whose life was almost cut short while behind the wheel of America’s favorite sports car.
“In 1974 I was involved in a high speed car accident. We hit the ditch at 130 miles per hour and I broke my neck in four places which left me paralyzed from the neck down,” he told Nashville’s News 2.
Doctors told Rummerfield’s family he would not live following the crash, however, they were wrong.
After defying death, doctors then said he would never be able to walk again. Once again Rummerfield proved them wrong.
“I was lying there, daydreaming about racing a Corvette and playing basketball when my left toe moved,” he recalled.
Rummerfield was invited to speak to auto workers at the Corvette plant.
“His story is such that there was no room in his life for anything less than success” said plant manager Dave Tatman.
After his speech, Rummerfield insisted that he could not leave the facility without helping build his favorite car.
Since his accident, Rummerfield has set a U.S. land speed record and was the first quadriplegic to complete an Iron Man competition.