VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A Virginia Beach man who nearly lost his life to a hit-and-run driver is slowly recovering.
“There is a reason why I survived it,” said Shane Collins.
Collins, 27, isn’t sure what that reason is, but he is at least alive to figure it out.
“The pain has been excruciating,” Collins added. “I’ve been in pain every day for the last two and a half weeks since I’ve woken up.”
Collins spent nearly five days unconscious in a hospital bed. Doctors say he almost died.
“None of the nurses or anything have actually seen anything like this before,” he said.
On May 6 just before 10 p.m., the Virginia Beach resident had just left his mom’s home. He was on his moped on Shore Drive near Diamond Springs Road. He noticed a black pickup truck behind him.
“By the time I could do anything I was basically underneath the truck,” Collins said.
Collins says he was dragged and was doing everything he could to try and free himself.
“It felt like forever,” he said. “I literally felt like my life was ending and this guy was still driving.”
He ended up getting crushed by the tires. He suffered broken bones, severe internal injuries and has had several surgeries.
“I will never be the same again,” Collins added. “I may never completely walk the same way again. I may never be able to breathe the same way. I’m going to have to relearn everything.”
Shane believes he will be in the hospital for another three weeks. What upsets him the most is that the driver just kept going.
“I would like him to get caught,” Collins said. “I would like him to time, because he almost killed me and that’s not alright.”
Collins he was extremely lucky he was wearing his helmet. He believes it saved his life. He knows he has a long road to recovery. His friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help with medical expenses.
