Man Hit By Metal On I-95 Has Stitches Removed From His Face, Prepares For More Surgeries
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BOCA RATON (CBSMiami) – In late April, Holden Amory suffered a massive injury to his face when a piece of metal pierced his windshield while he drove on I-95 in Boca Raton.
On Friday, Amory, an aspiring musician, crossed a threshold.
Doctors removed stitches from his face following a lengthy facial reconstructive surgery last week.
Holden says he's doing well. And following an interview with CBS4 News on Friday afternoon, Amory did something he hasn't since the accident – sing.
"I've got some tunes I can show ya," Amory said, strapping on his acoustic guitar, preparing to play a song, "Hold On," that he intends to release on a forthcoming album.
"Hold on, hold on, hold on," Amory sang. "You gotta stay strong."
Staying strong is what Amory is doing.
On Friday, doctors removed the stitches from his face after a lengthy facial reconstructive surgery.
Doctors also showed Holden what it looks like inside his face as they work with mesh to try and rebuild his right cheekbone and other areas.
"It definitely stinks, definitely sucks to have your face taken away from you, I guess," he said. "But for the most part there's nothing else you can do but keep your head up."
Holden's attitude is remarkable for someone whose right eyelid won't close, who needs two front teeth replaced, is trying to regain strength in his tongue and will need a nose job.
"I feel more blessed than I did prior to the accident," Amory said. "Like I feel more blessed, each day is a gift now."
And what happened in his car while driving on I-95 near Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton has even given Holden new perspective on his music career.
"I only get so much time to try to get to share my music with everyone so maybe I should work a little bit harder to get that out a little bit faster," he said.
Holden hopes to release his album later this year. He says he always fought against being labeled in his music and now he hopes he won't be labeled by this freak accident.
"I don't want to be defined by the piece of metal that hit me in the face," Amory said.
Holden says doctors told him he should make a full recovery.
He's already thinking up songs based on the accident and his injuries. He also holds out hope that someone who saw the accident on Friday, April 29th, will speak up and help identify the vehicle the piece of metal possibly fell off of.
"If you did see something I really would appreciate knowing where the piece came from," Amory said.
Specifically, Amory and his family are hoping that two witnesses to the accident come forward to speak with investigators. One was the woman driving in front of Holden whose car also got hit. The other is a man, a Good Samaritan, who stopped to help Holden after the accident.
The Florida Highway Patrol tells CBS4 News they are still trying to figure out if that piece of metal came off a truck or was kicked up by a vehicle and then smashed into Amory's windshield.