A Woodbridge teen who was paralyzed in a diving accident in Ocean City two years ago walked for the first time last week.
Back in 2012, Parker Haller had playing in the water for about an hour when he dove over a wave, head first.
“It was shallower than I thought it was, and I hit a sandbar right away on my head. And in the blink of an eye, could not move, couldn't feel,” Haller said in an interview with News4 last summer.
He was underwater, fully conscious, being tossed around by the waves. A nearby swimmer saw him go under and pulled him out. Lifeguards went to Parker’s aid, and he was flown to a hospital in Baltimore.
From there, Haller spent four months at Shepherd Center for spinal injuries in Atlanta. He had smashed two vertebrae near the top of his spine. After his first surgery, doctors gave Parker a 4 percent chance of ever having movement below his shoulders again.
But last week, Haller walked completely on his own for the first time in nearly two and a half years.
Haller's father, Scott Haller, had his camera rolling as his son walked across the room at his physical therapy session.
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Parker started his senior year at Hylton High School this past fall and uses a motorized wheelchair, walker or cane to get around.
