Jason Lanza's career fell six stories.
The former walk-on hurdler had been voted the 2003 track captain and earned a partial scholarship with only one year of experience hurdling last spring before a rope snapped while Lanza attempted to rappel down the Athens City Parking Garage Sept. 2.
"The last thing I remember before the accident was eating dinner that day, and then the last week and a half I was in the hospital - (the two and a half weeks) in between that, there is a big blank," Lanza said. "It's like it happened to someone else because I don't remember any of it."
On the night of his fall, Lanza, a junior visual communications major who had remained in Athens for the summer to take classes, left his house at 10:15 p.m. and went to the sixth floor of the garage to rappel down its side. According to the Athens Police Department incident report, Lanza dropped about three feet before the rope broke, causing him to plummet straight to the ground more than 60 feet below.
About 17 hours later, two Ohio University employees found him lying unconscious, hidden in a manmade hole in a small landscape park that was being renovated.
"He had dry blood on his face and flies around him," said Joe Fabiny, director of renovations in facilities management. "He could move his arm, and his eyes were open, but we could not get his attention."
Southeastern Ohio Emergency Medical Services transported Lanza to O'Bleness Memorial Hospital before life-flighting him to Grant Medical Center in Columbus. He woke up for the first time almost a week later in the trauma unit but went in and out of consciousness for the next two weeks.
Due to the severe injuries, Lanza would not return to school that fall and would face the hardships of rehabilitation instead of Ohio coach Elmore Banton's workouts.
Suffering from brain damage, a fractured skull, a broken collarbone and a broken femur in his right leg, Lanza remained in the hospital for nearly a month before returning to his home in Greensburg, Pa. His father, Joe Lanza, said because his son hit the ground on his right side, his brain was pushed to the left side of his skull. The swelling in his brain was so severe that a piece of his skull had to be removed temporarily and stored for 10 days in his own abdomen in order to keep it healthy.
Lanza's parents, Joe and Donna, stayed with him the entire time he was in the hospital, worrying about the long-term effects.
"We didn't know if he would be paralyzed or if he would have his cognitive senses," Joe said. "We were worried and doing a lot of praying because we didn't know how serious he was."
The accident left Lanza deaf in his right ear, and he suffered from short-term memory loss. His femur was repaired by surgically inserting a rod in his leg. Because of the head injury, Lanza said he had to relearn little things that used to come naturally to him, like simple math skills. He went through physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy while he was in the hospital, and he continued his rehab at home once he was released.
"I was disappointed about missing track season and school itself, but I was just focused on doing rehab and trying to get back as soon as possible," Lanza said. "I didn't mind the physical therapy because it was like being in the weight room or at track practice."
Nine months later, Lanza is ready to return to Athens for a summer class before returning in the fall as a full-time student. He still has trouble with short-term memory at times, but his physical recovery is surprising for such a serious accident.
"(My doctors) knew I would heal, but not how much, or how fast," Lanza said. "I guess a lot of my healing had to do with my effort in my therapy sessions. I think I surprised everyone by healing as fast as I did."
This was especially evident in how quickly he recovered from the broken leg. His doctors told him he would probably be on crutches until March, but Lanza said he was walking on his own well before Christmas.
"I think his self-discipline with track and everything really helped him recover physically," Joe said. "He was determined, and he had a desire to do well in track, so it was another competition for him to get better."
Lanza has been working out at a health center near his hometown, and he now runs 50 minutes at a time. Though his track career might be finished, he still hopes to workout and train next year with the team that he inspired this season.
"He was basically broken, and a weak broken person wouldn't be able to come back, but he is strong-willed and determined and people should understand he has really cheated fate," Ohio sprinter R.J. Redd said. "He is walking and talking; he is running and jogging miles at a time. He has achieved so much and is definitely worthy of recognition."
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Laurel Scheffel
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Jason Lanza, Ohio track team hurdler, fell from the sixth floor of the Athens parking garage on the corner of Washington and College streets when he attempted to rappel down its side last summer.
