sneakers. we re very sweaty. it s very hot. you go for a swim, take a few dives and i hit my head on theii bottom of the pool. a freak accident, says charles krauthammer. the amazing thing is there t was not even a cut on my head.hg it hit at precisely the angle where all the force was transmitted to one spot and thae is the cervical vertebrae, which severed the spinal cord. when did you realize that th accident was life altering?or the second it happened. you knew? i knew exactly what happened. i knew why i wasn t able to move. and i knew what that meant. at the bottom of the pool. i couldn t get out. i knew.ttin yes. he was paralyzed. unable to move his arms or legs. his friend thought he wasough clowning around and hesitatedro before divingun down to save hi. was there ever a moment that you thought this is the end?