Injured student making progress

FRONT ROYAL -- A 16-year-old student at Skyline High School, who was severely injured in a vehicle crash Jan. 11, is out of a coma and showing other signs of progress, his mother said Wednesday.

Carey Brogan said her son, James, emerged from a coma Monday and is breathing on his own after being freed from a ventilator Tuesday. He is out of the intensive care unit and in intermediate care, she said.

"They didn't think he would wake up, and he did," Carey Brogan said of the hospital staff. "I think he's strong, really strong."

"He's identifying family members now and squeezing our hands," she added.
James Brogan was injured when his pickup truck left Browntown Road and struck a tree after 8 a.m. Jan. 11.

Since then, many activities have been organized throughout Warren County to support James Brogan and his family.

Carey Brogan said her son will undergo physical therapy to restore movement to his mouth.

"We've got a long way ahead of us for him to recover," she said. "We're just overwhelmed and so thankful to everybody."