A slick, icy evening in December completely changed Bradley Miller’s life and his perspective.

A North Platte resident, Miller was on duty as a highway construction inspector for the Nebraska Department of Transportation one night. He stopped on eastbound I-80 to help a car that slid into a ditch.

As he was taking supplies out of his work truck to help an injured party, another car slid off the road and pinned him between the two vehicles, breaking both his legs.

Miller spent a week at Great Plains Health in North Platte recovering from surgery and then went to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital through the specialized program for injured workers. He had to navigate in a wheelchair and start working to become strong enough to return to his job as well as care for his two daughters.

Miller recently returned home to North Platte, Madonna Hospitals spokeswoman Mackenzie Huck said Monday.

For nearly three months at Madonna, Bradley had a daily physical and occupational therapy schedule. His goal was to walk again, but he had to rebuild confidence in himself and his body.

A physician-led care team encouraged him to focus on mechanics and grow his range of motion. As he became stronger and his steps became more natural, his confidence grew.

Huck said he transitioned to Madonna’s Rehabilitation daily outpatient program and worked toward complete independence. He stayed in the Woods House at the Madonna campus and practiced independent self-care while continuing a rigorous daily therapy schedule.

The final step in his recovery was participating in work re-entry tasks.

“Now that he’s getting better on his legs, that frees up his arms to do the work that he was doing before and that will only continue to improve,” said Joyce Jaixen, a Madonna physical therapist. “It feels good knowing he can go back home and continue what he loves.”

Bradley was recently able to walk out of Madonna using only a cane to steady himself. He will continue outpatient rehabilitation and hopes to return to work this summer.

Madonna has campuses in Lincoln and in Omaha, offering hope and healing and returning patients to their communities at a higher rate than industry benchmarks, Huck said.

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