Bermudian Shakir Hodsoll goes back into the hospital today in New Jersey to have part of his skull reinserted, as he continues to recover from a horrific car crash last August that claimed the life of three others. The 25-year-old suffered massive head injuries that left him in hospital for two months.

Mr Hodsoll was driving on Kozloski Road in Freehold, delivering car parts to various dealerships for his company, National Parts Supply, when a car carrying a 19-year-old man and 20-year-old woman coming in the opposite direction crashed into a car driven by a 50-year-old man that was in front of Hodsoll's Toyota Camry. That car landed on top of Mr Hodsoll's car, with the three others suffering fatal injuries.

The young Bermudian spent a month at Jersey Shore Hospital in an induced coma and a month at JFK Hospital in the Brain Trauma Unit with serious head and skull injuries as well as fractures to his neck and right leg. While he has made giant strides in his recovery, the ordeal has been a painful one for Mr Hodsoll and his family, including his father, Kevin, with whom he lives in Freehold, and his mother, Lejoy Daniels, who lives in St George's with husband Steven and their children Stevona and Seth.

Family members from Bermuda flew to New Jersey to be by his side, holding prayer vigils at his bedside while he was comatose. Mr Hodsoll has no memory of the accident, nor does he recall much of his early time in the hospital.

“The only person I remember seeing was my uncle Rick, my dad's brother,” said Mr Hodsoll, who is required to wear a helmet and neck brace when he moves around to prevent further injury in case of a fall.

He also lost a considerable amount of weight, but has regained most of it over the past few months.

“They were saying a lot of people were praying for me, which helped a lot,” he added. “A lot of the family came: my dad's brothers and sister, my dad, my mom and stepdad.

“At first it was pretty hard; I couldn't walk and was in a wheelchair. It has become a lot better. I remember when I first got out of the hospital, I couldn't even walk and fell three times. They had to put a wristband on me in hospital to tell people to keep an eye on me because I would try to get up. I didn't know I couldn't walk.”

Therapy at JFK Hospital has helped to hasten Mr Hodsoll's recovery, but now his family face mounting medical and legal bills over an accident that wasn't his fault. “They removed half of the skull because my head swelled up,” Mr Hodsoll explained last week when The Royal Gazette visited at his home.

“They will put the skull back in next week on the 19th. It has become a lot easier, my memory is coming back and as soon as I have this surgery, my memory should come back even more.”

Mr Hodsoll is a rap artist who performs under the handle “Shak Getem”. His songs are played on local radio Power 95 by DJ Don Bassett. Having written more 200 songs over the years, he longs to return to performing but has been finding it difficult.

“I haven't written anything since the accident but I want to get back to that,” he said with optimism. “My brain got affected a lot. It takes me a little time, which they talked about in therapy, to think of things and get out what I'm trying to say.

“When I listen to the songs, I can't even sing them back the way I want to. Sometimes I can't even remember the words to the songs. I just have to keep practising and going to therapy. It used to be five sessions a week, but now it's four — two on Wednesdays and two on Thursdays.

“My mom was here for two months and Dad hasn't been working because I can't be left alone. I thank God a lot. The lawyers showed me pictures of the other people in the accident who were all messed up. I could be gone, too.”

Mr Hodsoll was born in the US but spent many years in Bermuda after his mother remarried. He attended St George's Prep, Clearwater Middle School and then graduated from CedarBridge Academy before spending time living with his father whose work in home renovation has been put on hold while he cares for his son full-time.

“He came back to Bermuda when he was 4 but he went every summer and every Christmas to his dad,” his mother said.

“He asked me when he was 13 to go to his dad for high school and then after a year or two he came back. He graduated from CedarBridge on the national honours society and was also involved in Johns Hopkins Institute for talented students.”