Man badly hurt in crash gives life his all

Despite suffering a devastating car accident in January 2002, Ethan Myers, 22, exhibits resiliency spiced with optimism. Myers was 9 when he was a passenger, with his brother Luke, in a car driven by their sister Bethany. “We got hit by this dude smoking pot,” Myers said. “All I remember is rehab, seventh floor, Memorial Hospital; I was there for 3½ months.” Since the accident, Myers and his father, Howard Myers, speak to high-school students around the region about the perils of driving under the influence of marijuana and/or alcohol. Along with the warning, however, is the example of what hard work and commitment to recovery can do. While Myers is disabled, with physical limitations as a result of traumatic brain injury from the accident, he nonetheless has a warm smile and a positive attitude. Currently employed at the New Beginnings secondhand store in Woodland Park, Myers found the job through the Opportunity Internship for Youth program, which is managed and administered by the Pikes Peak Workforce Center. The center provided classes on job readiness and supplied him with gas cards. After seven months as an intern, Myers was hired as a permanent employee by the owners, Walter and Yolanda Miranda. “Ethan is an amazing kid,” said Scott Correa, youth team leader at the workforce center. Now that’s he’s gainfully employed, Myers looks back on his days at Woodland Park High School and credits Elizabeth Connell for helping him prepare for real life. Connell, youth career counselor for the School to Work Alliance (SWAP) program, secured an internship for him at Pikes Peak Regional Hospital. “The internship helped Ethan develop work skills which prepared him to go out into the working world,” Connell said. “He so wants to give back.” As well, Myers has achieved another staple of real life in Teller County. “My dream was to get a car,” he said. `I got my license and a car in 2012.” Myers works two days a week at New Beginnings. “Ethan is irreplaceable,” said Walter Miranda. “People who come in here just love him. He’s been a real blessing.” While the driver of the car was not jailed, he was fined and the three siblings received a settlement. Today, Luke Myers is an emergency medical technician in Cripple Creek and Bethany is the mother of three boys and lives with her family in Castle Rock. For Myers, working at New Beginnings fits his goal of giving back. “Life is good every day,” he said.