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Not only that he survived, but he also fully recovered from an injury that is rarely seen by doctors. Though most people die instantly, a 12-year-old boy made it through after his skull and neck was separated in a racing car crash in 2006.

Now, Chris Stewart, 14, is getting back behind the wheel, but driving a go-kart for the moment. His mother, Debbie, is still reluctant, after almost losing her son.

The boy was driving a 1,000cc Mini when a burst tire sent him head-on into a metal barrier at 50 mph at a grass track near Alton, Hampshire. His mother said to the Daily Mail: “I remember seeing his car going straight for the barrier head-on and then crashing. It’s probably every mother’s worst nightmare to see their child in a situation like that.”

The firefighters worked for 90 minutes to get him out of the car and take him to the Southampton General Hospital by ambulance under police escort. Paramedics had to steady his head, as a one millimeter movement in any direction would have been enough to kill him.

Surgeon Evan Davies took care of young Chris and performed a very difficult operation on him, in which the back of his skull was reattached to the top of the spine with metal plates and bone grafts. Davis says the boy was one of only few to survive an injury that is also known as ‘internal decapitation.’

Moreover, “He’s the only person in the world who has survived such an injury and gone on to lead a normal life. A few others survived, but they ended up completely paralyzed,” added Davis. It took nine months for Chris to learn how to speak, eat and walk again and doctors have now given him the permission to drive again.

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