Larry Claypool turned 70 on Sunday, a milestone he admits he’s lucky to have seen.
“I’m thankful to be alive. It’s been a very difficult year, of course,” he told Global News. “I’ve learned, no matter how strong you are, just how fragile we all are.”
It was early in the morning of Dec. 19, 2017 when Claypool was driving his cab northbound over the Burrard Street Bridge when the crash that put him in a wheelchair happened.
The driver of an Audi R8 headed southbound lost control of their vehicle, crossed the centreline and slammed into Claypool’s taxi.
According to witnesses, the Audi flipped, broke apart and burst into flames. The driver died at the scene, while Claypool and his passenger, Christian Zelichowski, were seriously injured.
Zelichowski’s friends say Claypool’s actions may have saved the man’s life, but it’s Claypool who believes he owes his life to others — namely the Good Samaritans that pulled him from the wreckage.
WATCH: Friends of victim of a violent crash speak out
“I owe them a lot,” said a tearful Claypool. “I can only say thanks so much.”
While he’s lucky to be alive, the road to recovery for Claypool has been difficult.
Despite 14 surgeries, he remains paralyzed. He’s suffered a stroke, and only made it out of hospital last month.
But friends and family say they had no doubt Claypool would push through.
“I can remember when the accident happened and he was going in for surgery and just thinking, ‘If anyone is going to be able to get through this, it’s going to be him,'” said his daughter Nairena MacLellan.
It was a sentiment his friend Chris McRae echoed.
WATCH: Horrendous fatal crash closes Burrard Bridge for hours
“Larry is one of the most resilient, positive people I have ever known,” she said.
“I said to him, ‘You’re just incredible,'” McRae added. “‘Chris,’ he said, ‘A tiger, whether injured or not, is still a tiger.’ And that just defines Larry for me.”
The incident has also positively renewed Claypool’s relationship with his daughter.
“We were estranged for many years, and now I think we both have the relationship we both always wanted,” he told Global News.
“I always knew I had friends, but I never knew I had so many. And that in itself is kind of humbling.
“You could say they’ve all saved my life.”
Claypool is now working on a novel, and looking forward to the next milestone ahead.
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