Lucky to be alive
Royal boys' volleyball player Jeff Briggs survived a near-fatal automobile accident last July
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

Jeff Briggs

The next time the boys' volleyball team at Royal High plays a match, there's a good chance senior Jeff Briggs will be helping his team find a way to succeed.

Whether it is blocking a serve at the net, setting up a teammate or providing a kill, Briggs will be there to contribute.

After what happened to him last July, Briggs will tell you he shouldn't be.

On July 18, Briggs was in the passenger seat of his sister's car traveling on Avenue D near the 138 Freeway.

To avoid a head-on collision with a semi truck, their car reared off the road. The car's tire sank into the dirt and hit the pavement before the car rolled over four times. This is only what Briggs has been told; he doesn't remember any of it, or anything that happened for three weeks afterward.

"I had just seen him play two weeks earlier in tryouts for the team and was thinking to myself that I had my opposite position basically set with him playing," Royal head coach Dean Borth said.

"I then got a call from my players telling me that Jeff had been in an accident and they weren't sure if he was going to make it. But for some reason I knew he would end up making it through the surgery. It wasn't a denial of what happened, I just knew what kind of person he was and knew he was a fighter."

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers MARKED MAN- Royal senior Jeff Briggs, left, shows the scar he received after undergoing brain surgery following his automobile accident. Above, Briggs gets in some extra work during the Highlanders' practice session on Wednesday afternoon.

Briggs survived, but he doesn't remember a thing about the day of the crash, no matter how hard he tries.

"They had found $60 in my pocket that I had taken out of the bank for Magic Mountain, and I don't remember that," Briggs said. "I had my first helicopter ride and I don't remember that. I guess I yelled at the nurse a couple times and pulled off my ventilator tubes, but I also don't remember that."

Briggs would make it through brain surgery after being in a threeweek coma. Shortly thereafter he began a rehab stint in Northridge. His sister, the driver, was out of the hospital in five days. While in rehab, Briggs started to think about playing volleyball again.

"The first time I practiced with the team wasn't until February, and the first thing I actually thought was, 'Damn, I am really out of shape,"' Briggs said. "It was aggravating because it had taken me three years of high school volleyball to get my timing down, and now I had to learn it all over again. Also, I couldn't jump as high as I used to before the accident- I couldn't jump that high to begin with. So I had to work extra hard."

Before coming back to play in a game, Briggs thought he'd have to wear a protective helmet to avoid further injury. His teammates rallied around him by agreeing that if he would have to wear a helmet, the whole team would, to avoid singling him out.

"He ended up not having to wear the helmet, and the team was actually a little bummed because they thought it would be cool," Borth said with a grin.

"I'm not surprised he came back to play volleyball. He is just an awesome kid that is a gamer and always wants to be out there. He's thankful to be alive, but also realizes that a good effort isn't enough. He really wants to be a good player for the team."

A week after being told he wouldn't have to wear the helmet, Briggs left rehab.

"I loved the people in rehab," Briggs said. "It was a fun school, and once I came back to Royal, I realized how good I had had it there. They made sure that I kept up with some of my classes in high school and I actually took some of my high school tests in rehab.

"I saw the people that helped in rehab a couple weeks ago and it was great because I wouldn't be here now playing without the help I got from them."

In March, Briggs played in his first game since the accident.

"It was a scrimmage against Harvard-Westlake and we didn't really keep score that game or anything, but it still felt awesome to be out there starting. I stood and thought about it and it was really amazing that I was playing seven months after being in a coma."

Since that game, Borth will often look at Briggs in practice and be amazed he's on the court.

"We've had a couple moments where I look at him after he is playing hard and I tell him, 'Dude, you should be dead,'" Borth said. "He'll just look at me and nod his head. You can tell that he's a kid that is thankful to be alive."

Briggs said his attitude on life has changed for the better since his accident.

"Before the accident I kind of had this teenager vibe where I was invincible," Briggs said. "Now I value every day of my life and try to live it to the fullest."