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Kevin Swindell

Kevin Swindell wrote a blog entry at OneDirt.com to update fans on his status following his wreck at the Knoxville Nationals in August.

"You could say I'm semi-paralyzed from the waist down. I can voluntarily kick both legs outward to a straight position. I can also lock out my knees enough to stand with a walker. I haven't gotten any movement back in my ankles or feet to this point, but the doctors and therapists say that the upper leg comes back before the lower. Right now I go to therapy for two hours, three days a week. I also just added an extra hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays to try and get as much as I can. I spend 30 minutes or so standing with the help of my therapist.

"They place electrode pads on each muscle group of my legs. This helps them contract to strengthen them. It also serves as a method to try to activate the nerves, which could encourage them to wake them. I can't say this doesn't suck, because it does. Though with the help of my fiance, family, and a lot of great friends there hasn't been much that I haven't been able to do just three and a half months after breaking my back in two places and going through 16 hours of surgery. I'm really looking forward to heading to PRI in Indianapolis this week.

"I'm hoping to spend some time meeting with people to discuss how we can prevent what happened to me from happening to others. We've spent a lot of time worrying about our necks in Sprint Cars. It's time to think about our lower back and realize that the driver is truly the only thing there is to give when a car lands flat on the frame the way I did. I had every piece of equipment to the newest standards you can get. From a HANS device connected to the best Arai helmet to a full containment Butlerbuilt seat with an insert under me I had everything. Yet one of the softest flips I've probably ever taken is the only one that's ever hurt me." One Dirt