Berthoud – When Tyler Carron started his slow but steady walk toward his high school diploma Saturday morning, his father cried and his best buddy, Nikko Landeros, whooped and cheered.
So did the crowd that jammed Max Farr Field. So did Michelle Berra, who is accused of careless driving when her Toyota Land Cruiser ran into both Carron and Landeros, destroying their legs.
They have since been fitted with computerized prosthetics. Landeros wore his under a pair of plaid shorts Saturday; Carron’s helped him halfway across a football field and to a new life.
Both Carron and Berra were among the 175-member Berthoud High graduating class of 2007. Although full of outstanding scholars, memorable characters and hard- driving athletes, this group drew media attention because of the crash and the ensuing controversy.
But Saturday – when grandmas cried, little sisters smiled with admiration, and the senior speaker assured everyone this was the wackiest class ever – this town of 5,200 decided to focus on senior accomplishments and not blame.
Actually, said resident Martha Simmons, that’s been the attitude since the Jan. 15 accident. “Every one of us knows, we could have been either Tyler, Nikko or Michelle,” Simmons said.
Nervous but ready
Carron made his ascent up a ramp with the help of walking sticks, nabbing his ticket out of high school and departing with one final fist pump to his dad, Bruce, in the stands.
“I was a little nervous, but I was ready to do this,” said the 18-year-old Carron, who practiced walking Friday on grass. Bruce got the jitters when he saw his youngest son teeter and fall on his way to the ceremonies.
“But I also know that if you fall, you have to get up,” Bruce Carron said.
Landeros, a Berthoud junior, said seeing Tyler graduate pulled at his heart. “I wish it was me,” he said. “But I’m happy for him; he worked hard for this.”
Carron, 18, and the 17-year- old Landeros were driving three girls home from a formal dance late Jan. 15 when they stopped to change a tire on their Isuzu Trooper on a dark county road. They were removing a spare tire from the tailgate when Berra’s Land Cruiser crashed into them.
Their injuries cost them their legs.
Carron and Landeros – both star athletes – have since endured agonizing physical therapy. Berra, 17, a petite and accomplished singer, is facing two charges of careless driving causing injury.
Her family’s attorney has since claimed that Carron and Landeros were at least partially responsible for the crash because the two had been drinking and acting recklessly.
Residents, classmates and school officials say, however, that any antagonism dredged up by legal wrangling has been kept to a minimum.
People applauded loudly when Berra got her diploma. She said the accident has not derailed her plans, including singing at Berthoud Days and then preparing for classes at the University of Colorado.
“I was yelling for Tyler, and I wanted to congratulate him, but I couldn’t get to him,” Berra said.
Relearning to walk
Carron’s first steps on Saturday’s stage actually began in late March, when he and Landeros got fitted for their prosthetic legs and began to learn to walk again.
“Learn where your feet are in space,” Christopher Hoyt told Carron one day last month. Hoyt – director of prosthetics and education for BioDesign Inc. – said each limb costs about $60,000.
He sent the wiry Carron off on a slow but steady stroll down a corridor at Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital in Aurora. Therapist Sylvia Boedeker walked behind Carron, her hand gently placed on his back to steady him.
“Nice striding, Tyler, nicely done,” Hoyt said as Carron returned to a small circle of friends and family.
Carron smiled, determined to walk tall toward his awaiting diploma. “I want to be able to grab it and put it into my hand,” Carron said. “I don’t want to do this sitting down.”
But the beads of sweat on Carron’s forehead betrayed the effort he was expending to move forward with his life.
The legs, which weigh over 6 pounds, forced both boys to overcome problems with balance and control. They exerted energy that would have quickly drained someone twice their age, Hoyt said.
“I’d say 90 percent of my patients don’t use them because they can be exhausting,” Hoyt said.
He first fit them with much shorter limbs – about 3 feet high – so they could learn control. “But they were so macho, they wanted to move as quickly as they could to the longer legs.”
The boys’ vigor, and determination to look ahead, makes them perfect for rehabilitation, Hoyt said.
They also learned to lean on each other – literally.
When Landeros recently fell trying to get to a fundraising event in Broomfield, Carron was there to help hoist him onto his new feet.
“Nikko will say, ‘I love you,’ and Tyler will say back, ‘I love you,’ before they start their therapy,” Hoyt said. “When do you hear guys say that?”
Looking forward
Landeros may have legs created for him so he can wrestle next year for Berthoud High.
He also spent last month at Spalding learning how to drive with a special lever.
“It feels good to be able to get around,” said Landeros, while his father, Jairo, looked on. “I like the independence.”
Carron also insists the accident hasn’t altered his plans, including attending Front Range Community College to learn construction management. “The managers are the ones who can sit and don’t have to work,” said Carron, behind a small, sly smile.
Since the accident, at least $450,000 has been raised for Carron and Landeros.
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
