A man who spent 244 days in a coma before waking up and recovering has died seven years later after being hit by a truck, US reports have said.

Drew Kohn was “just days away from his 30th birthday” when he was “struck by a truck while walking,” a gofundme appeal published on Saturday said.

The page describes him as “a modern-day miracle who is now completely healed and free, sitting at the feet of Jesus.

“While we miss him more than words can express, we are at peace knowing he is finally home.”

The fundraiser has been set up to pay for his funeral expenses and the medical expenses he accumulated over the past seven years.

Mr Kohn was killed in Jacksonville, Florida on Friday, after being hit by a pickup truck while walking on Collins Road in the city around 5.30am, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.

The driver, who told officers he hadn’t seen him, pulled over and called 911, but it was too late. Mr Kohn was pronounced dead at the scene.

Seven years earlier, he had been involved in a motorcycle accident in the same city.

Despite doctors thinking he was “brain dead and would never walk or talk again” he emerged from a coma after eight months and, according to his gofundme page, “lived life to the fullest”.

In an interview with local station WTLV-TV, Yolanda Osborne-Kohn, his mother, said that following his initial accident medics were set on “harvesting his organs”.

“It was because of my faith that gave me the boldness to speak up and push back and let them know, ‘You’re not getting a toenail or an eyelash.'”

After being sent home from hospital while still in a coma Kohn shocked his mother by waking up and saying: “Yeah, Mom, I’m OK. I love you, Mom.” After years of rehabilitation Mr Kohn began walking again – only to be tragically struck down by another accident, which this time proved fatal.

“God honoured my request, and I’m not mad. I’m not angry. I’m at peace,” Ms Osborne-Kohn told WTLV-TV. “I got seven years and like Hezekiah who turned his face to the wall, I remember sitting on Drew’s hospital bed and saying to myself, ‘Thy will be done.'”

She said she believes her son is now in heaven and no longer suffering.

“Drew is healed, walking, not struggling to keep his balance,” she said. “His arm is probably lifted so high saying ‘Thank you, Jesus!’ Drew probably has a football in one hand and a Bible in the other.”

The gofundme page appeal says: “Drew showed us what it looks like to walk by faith. He touched countless lives along the way pointing everyone he met to Jesus.

“He was passionate about helping those struggling with trauma and traumatic brain injuries, always giving them hope.”

Last updated on September 10th, 2024 at 05:22 pm