Victim Of Brutal Beating Comes Back To Run Half Marathon
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Five years after being beaten into a coma, a Brooklyn man is regaining his health and inspiring others.
And as CBS 2's Cindy Hsu reported, Bryan Steinhauer ran the Half Marathon on Sunday to show the world what great strides he has made on the road to recovery.
The joy on Steinhauer's face was visible after he ran the New York City Half Marathon.
"This is my first race," he said. "No 5k, no 10k, nothing. My first race."
Steinhauer ran Sunday to raise money for a fund he started at Mount Sinai Hospital called Minds Over Matter. The foundation helps support young adults with brain injuries.
"Young people -- we need them. They need support. You just want to love them," Steinhauer said. "I'll run for them."
It was a hard-fought battle for the 26-year-old to get to this point. Five years ago, while a student at Binghamton University, he was brutally beaten in a barroom confrontation.
He suffered skull fractures and a severe brain injury when he was attacked in May 2008.
Steinhauer regained his ability to talk, walk and run, earned his college degree, passed his CPA exam and began working as an accountant.
Meanwhile, the man who attacked him, former college basketball player Miladin Kovacevic, was charged with assault in the United States, but jumped bail and fled to his native Serbia. He was sentenced to two years in prison there.
The case strained U.S.-Serbian relations after the country had refused to hand Kovacevic over to the U.S. citing local laws banning extradition.
Kovacevic was released from prison last November.
"It's no longer about him," Steinhauer said. "He's out of the picture. Now it's about me."
Now, Steinhauer is just looking forward to the road ahead.
"I want to like be a huge inspiration to be there for the patients as they recover, to help any way I can," he said.
Steinhauer's next goal is to run the full New York City Marathon in November.
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