Midterm Blog

Logan Liles, Senior at the University of Oklahoma, is a quadriplegic after a snowboarding accident. VIDEO: Blake Cawood and Staci Sumurdy, run 4:23

Student overcomes paralyzing accident and carries on with a successful college

lifestyle.

Logan Liles went on a snowboarding trip his Sophomore year that changed his life forever. As Liles was boarding down Purgatory Mountain in Durango, CO., he impacted the ground and broke his C4 vertebrae in his back and injured his C5 vertebrae in his neck.

“The scariest part was not being able to scream for help,” said Liles.

Liles was life flighted to the Intensive Care Unit, and three hours later received the news

of his quadriplegic paralysis, which is of the arms ad legs. He spent the rest of his

spring semester off of school, but made a miraculous return the following fall.

During Lilesʼ recovery period, his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, made renovations to the

fraternity house. Two ramps were installed; one outside of the house and one indoors.

Lilesʼ bedroom door was reconstructed to open outward, and his bathroom and

bedroom were made wheelchair accessible. Surrounded by the family-like setting and

support of his brothers, Liles spent his Junior year living at Phi Delta Theta.

Driving is one of the many things that Liles continues to do despite the accident. His

truck has equipment that helps him get from the ground to the drivers seat, and a lever

that picks up and stows his wheelchair to and from the trunk bed. Liles controls the

equipment from a pad located beside the steering wheel.

For his Senior year, Liles currently lives at The Edge apartments. He commutes to

campus from his apartment to Phi Delta Theta, where his electric wheelchair is. Liles

rides it to all of his classes from the fraternity.