Watkins Mill wrestler paralyzed in ‘freak accident’

Wolverines junior has emergency surgery, could walk again

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006

Watkins Mill High junior wrestler Mike Tyler fractured two vertebrae and dislocated his spine, causing paralysis, during a wrestling match against Richard Montgomery in the Big Train Duals Saturday at Walter Johnson, according to Watkins Mill coach Steve Kachadorian.

Tyler was injured during his 173-pound match when both wrestlers attempted moves from the neutral standing position. Tyler eventually landed on his neck.

‘‘He was attempting a move and the other kid countered with a perfectly legitimate and legal move and landed on his neck awkwardly,” Kachadorian said. ‘‘The ref saw that Mike wasn’t moving and stopped the match pretty quickly. Mike couldn’t feel anything. He was conscious during the whole thing.”

Paramedics were immediately called to the scene, and they informed Kachadorian that Tyler would need to be taken by helicopter to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. After spending Saturday night in traction to realign his spine, Tyler underwent surgery Sunday to have the fifth and sixth vertebrae fused.

‘‘At this point, medical science has done everything that can be done,” Kachadorian said. ‘‘Mike’s body needs to heal. He doesn’t have much feeling if anything from the waist down. He’s losing sensation, but he’ll gain some sensation. His body is just healing.

‘‘[The doctors said] there’s a good chance that he’ll be walking again down the road. It’s going to take time. They haven’t ruled out the possibility of him walking again and they haven’t ruled out him not getting feeling back, but we like say, ‘If it’s likely going to happen, it’s going to happen.’ Mike’s young. Mike’s strong. Mike’s tough. He’s in good hands.”

According to Perry Young, Tyler’s stepfather, Tyler has ‘‘an incredible attitude. He’s really doing wonderful. He came in here on the first day, four hours after the incident happened, and he had traction ... and he’s already asking for food, his iPod and his cell phone. He’s really, really upbeat.”

Young said Tyler was eating regular food as of Tuesday and had feeling in his arms.

‘‘He can’t make a fist just yet, but as long as he has feeling in his arms” rehabilitation shouldn’t be a problem, Young said. ‘‘He has no feeling in his lower extremities. That’s from the swelling on his spinal cord. As the swelling goes down, the sensation will come back. We don’t know if it will be 100 percent, 80 or 60. It’s a day-to-day thing.”

According to Young, an MRI exam was scheduled for Tuesday to verify the success of Tyler’s surgery. Young said Tyler will stay at the shock trauma unit until Friday or Saturday and will then start rehabilitation closer to home if no further complications arise.

‘‘I thought probably he was knocked out, had his bell rung,” Richard Montgomery coach Kevin Menefee said. ‘‘He didn’t scream at all. That’s why I thought he got knocked out. He went down, and the ref came around to look for a pin and immediately he blew the whistle. The ref did a good job. He didn’t even wait for that. The ref told me that he stopped when he saw the kid’s arms straight out and no fight or anything.”

Tyler, a second-year wrestler, compiled an 7-8 record while splitting time between 164 and 173 pounds this season. His teammates went on to finish the match against Richard Montgomery and completed the dual-meet tournament with a 4-4 record to place fifth among nine teams.

‘‘The team is upset about Mike, but certainly we all know it’s a freak accident,” Kachadorian said. ‘‘It’s the first time I’ve ever seen something like that. Everybody’s worried about Mike and we’re going to support him, but there’s still a wrestling season we have to compete. We have to get back to work. Hopefully, we’ll be competitive from here on out.”

‘‘It’s been very difficult as you can imagine,” added Watkins Mill athletic director Ed Ross. ‘‘Michael’s a popular young man. He has a lot of friends, and he’s an excellent student-athlete.”

Watkins Mill principal Peter Cahall said students are dealing with the news ‘‘as well as can be expected,” and have designated a box in the main office for cards and letters.

‘‘We’re maintaining optimism about Mike’s long-term prognosis,” Cahall said. ‘‘Right now, there’s a lot of unanswered questions. As a school community, we want to be supportive.”

The guidance counselor at the school is working with students on an as-needed basis, and Cahall is considering a group session with the wrestling team.

The Watkins Mill basketball team visited Tyler Tuesday, and the wrestling team plans to visit Wednesday.

Cahall, who visited Tyler in Baltimore Tuesday afternoon, was scheduled to go to the wrestling team’s match at Poolesville Tuesday night.

‘‘I don’t usually go to away matches,” he said. ‘‘But I want to show the team that I’m there for them.”