Sean Carter can’t talk, walk or stand on his own. Yet that hasn’t stopped him from sharing his wise words of warning and hope. Since 2007, he and his mother, Jenny Carter, have testified against drinking and driving in front of more than 475,000 people across Texas.
His message—typed into an iPad and spoken by a masculine synthetic voice—is simple: “Think of me, and save yourself.”
Normal life for Sean abruptly ended 20 years ago—March 27, 2005. He was 22, a fun-loving and focused young man with a brilliant smile.
He grew up in rural Grayson County, north of the Metroplex. At S&S Consolidated High School, Sean earned top grades, played sports and showed pigs as an FFA member.
Sean went on to complete an associate degree. On the side, he modeled in Dallas and later New York City so he could pay his way through college. He planned to get his bachelor’s degree and continue on to law school.
Then Sean’s plans unexpectedly derailed.
He doesn’t remember what happened that rainy night before Easter Sunday. But he has been told that he climbed into the passenger seat of a pickup driven by a drunk friend. The two had been barhopping in Wichita Falls, where Sean attended Midwestern State University.
Five minutes from Sean’s apartment, the friend lost control of the steering wheel. The truck spun and slammed into a tree, pinning Sean in his seat. The collision shattered his body’s entire right side.
The driver was unhurt and later pleaded guilty to felony intoxication assault. Sean, who lay in a coma for 39 days in a hospital, was left with a severe diffuse axonal injury, which occurs when the whole brain is shaken and torn from nerves within the skull. Sean also sustained numerous other serious injuries, including a ruptured bladder, collapsed right lung and internal lacerations.
That night, his mother’s life changed forever too.
Jenny gave up her career as a regional billing coordinator for a national physician management company to care for her son. (Sean’s parents were divorced when the accident happened, and his father died in 2012.)
Two years later, Sean, who isn’t paralyzed, regained limited use of his arms and hands. To accomplish that much, he endured 20 surgeries and many hours of physical therapy.
Today Sean walks short distances using a reverse posterior walker, a four-wheeled frame that he pulls behind him. He needs help from his mother with basic tasks but can take care of himself at their home in El Lago, southeast of Houston.
Using an iPad, Sean learned how to speak via the TouchChat app. In 2007, Mothers Against Drunk Driving invited Sean and Jenny to share their story with first-time DWI offenders.
They’ve been on the road ever since. In 2010, they founded When Sean Speaks, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing drunken driving and showing the real-life consequences.
In 2013, Sean and Jenny joined Watch UR BAC, an alcohol awareness program sponsored by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. (BAC refers to blood alcohol concentration, a measure of a person’s intoxication.) The program funds their appearances at schools and church and service groups.
“From the very beginning, Sean has touched hearts,” Jenny says. “After he speaks, people rush to him and cry. They say they’ve never thought about consequences like his.”
Over the years, Sean has received many emails too. “You guys came to my school when I was in junior high,” one student wrote. “Now I’m in college. Sean inspires me. I think of his story often. Thank you for the work that you do.”
His strong faith and will to impact others keep Sean moving forward. He works out every day at home and twice a week goes to the University of Houston-Clear Lake for supervised exercise. He’s also a member of his church’s leadership team.
Today, at age 42, Sean doesn’t dwell on what-ifs or compare himself to others.
“Life happens to everyone,” he says via his keyboard. “You can’t live in a bubble to stay safe. Bad things might happen even if you’re not doing anything wrong. What defines you as a person is how you respond to those things.
“I can’t go back in time to change what happened,” adds Sean, flashing one of his brilliant smiles. “All I can do is look to the future.”
