Spring Break Tragedy - Miraculous Recovery: Attorney Celebrates 29th Year of Life by Helping Pay the Medical Bills of a Student Who Had a Remarkably Similar Experience
TEANECK, N.J., March 16, 2018 (Newswire.com) - March 20, 1989, is a day that nearly killed Steven Benvenisti. Now a Partner at the personal injury law firm of Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. in Teaneck, Steven was a 21-year-old college student on spring break in Daytona Beach when he was violently struck by a repeat offender drunk driver while walking on the sidewalk.
The impact of the crash sent his head through the windshield, crushed his legs, and threw his body 70 feet. Within hours, doctors told the Benvenisti family via telephone that they should consent to Steven’s organ donation, for his survival was very slim, and if he did survive he would be living with the permanent residuals following a severe traumatic brain injury.
He spent ten days in a coma, nearly six months in the hospital, and underwent 15 surgeries. Unable to walk and talk due to the traumatic injury to his brain, Steven withstood months of excruciating and intense physical rehabilitation and went on to make a full recovery.
It was during this time that Steven made a promise to fight for victims like himself and to stop intoxicated driving. Aside from being a highly respected injury attorney, he now serves on the Board of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), is President of the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey (BIANJ), and travels around the world sharing his amazing journey and teaching others the power of strength and perseverance. Steven even put his experience in writing, authoring the book "Spring Break: A True Story of Hope and Determination," with all honorarium being donated to charity.
This year, Steven’s anniversary coincides with an unfortunate and eerily similar accident that has just occurred to another college student on spring break in Florida. On March 5, 21-year-old Drew Akers, who is in the same fraternity (Theta Chi) as Benvenisti, was critically injured in a hit and run accident in Ft. Lauderdale. He has been placed in a medically induced coma, with skull and facial fractures and bleeding in the brain. Drew’s family has reached out to Steven and shared that Steven’s story inspired them concerning their son.
Each year on March 20th, Steven donates $1 on behalf of each of the thousands of people on his email and Facebook friends list to either MADD or the BIANJ. In addition to these organizations, Steven will also be donating proceeds to Drew Akers and his family for medical bills and recovery. You can help Steven obtain his goal of $10,000 by sending him an email to steven@dsslaw.com.
These are fantastic charities that have saved countless lives, as well as support the thousands of individuals who have suffered a traumatic brain injury, or have been affected by the consequences of drunk driving. Since it was founded, MADD has helped decrease drunk driving deaths in half.
If you are interested in contributing to any one of these charities, please visit www.madd.org or www.bianj.org. If you would like to donate for Drew Akers’ medical expenses, please visit www.gofundme.com/akers-family-medical-expenses. To set up an interview with Steven, please call Elizabeth Sheldon at 201-808-2877. To reach Steven directly, email steven.benvenisti@dsslaw.com, and visit www.contractforlife.org for more information.
Source: Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C.
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