10/08/08 Bend
 
"I mean I gotta find some meaning in it, cause I got to make something of what I got left"
 
23 year old Wiley Brown says he's still searching for meaning from the night a suspected drunk driver knocked him off his bike three and a half weeks ago.  Wiley works through physical therapy Wednesday morning a week after being released from St. Charles Medical Center in Bend.  The accident happened on Skyliners Road near Mt. Washington Drive just before midnight on September 18th as Wiley was riding home from work.
 
"I woke up and what brought me out of shock was having to sign the paperwork, signing uhh..saying they could amputate my leg," Wiley says.
 
Wiley had his left leg amputated while his right leg remains in a brace and his left arm broken.  He is learning how to get around in his wheelchair. His mother who is battling ovarian cancer is in town from California to help him.  She shows Wiley a photo of his mangled bike after the accident.
 
"Big change for him because he is so active and new things to learn cause it's supposed to take a year to a year and a half but he has a great attitude I think," his mother, Jenny Brown Hartley says.
 
An avid snowboarder Wiley was working at Yokos restaurant in Bend as an assistant cook, hoping to work his way up to sushi chef.
 
The driver of the car, Clayton Bailey, has been indicted by a grand jury and charged with 2 counts of Assault II, DUII, reckless endangering and criminal mischief.  He will be back in court October 24th.
 
Wiley should be able to put weight on his right foot in the next two weeks; he will be ready for a prosthetic leg next year and hopes to be able to ride a bike again.  His boss at Yokos told him he can return to work when he is ready.
 
If you'd like to help, the family has created a donation account in Wiley Brown's name at Bank of the Cascades.  You can donate at any local branch.