When 17-year-old Wallace Cimino left his native Brazil to spend a year studying in the United States, his plans didn't include a tour of the American healthcare system.

Still, that's what the international exchange student got last month when he rode his bike from his sponsor family's home in Orcutt to Righetti High School - where he attends classes - and became involved in a head-on collision.

Though he suffered a severed ear, scratches, and a broken collarbone that hasn't yet completely healed, compared to what could have happened, Cimino escaped relatively unscathed and tells his tale like showing a badge of honor.

“People said I was lifted eight feet from the (pavement),” Cimino said. “I just remember the car coming. Next thing I know, I'm lying on the ground. I tried to open my eyes, but someone was telling me ‘Don't move' so I didn't open my eyes. Next time I opened my eyes I was in the ambulance.”

Righetti classes end at noon Mondays and on this particular Monday - Sept. 8 - Cimino was heading back to school for cross country practice after having gone “home” for a little rest and relaxation following a busy morning of classes.

As he approached the intersection of California and Foster Road, disaster struck.

A driver barreled through the intersection without noticing that Cimino had already entered it.

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“I never saw the guy who hit me,” Cimino said.

Following the accident, Cimino was taken directly to Marian Medical Center for emergency treatment.

Cimino's host parents, Dale and Debbie Johnson, were jolted when they heard about the accident.

“I got a call on my cell phone” from a nurse, Dale Johnson said. “I headed right over.”

Johnson arrived at the hospital to find Cimino in bed and “high” on a cocktail of painkillers as doctors stitched his ear back to his head.

Cimino himself said he does not recall much about the experience.

“I was half sleeping and half waking up,” he said, adding that he'd never been in a hospital before except for a bout of appendicitis when he was much younger.

Though the two hospital experiences did not differ much, “It's very scary without your family to support you,” Cimino said.

Accident insurance purchased prior to his leaving Brazil covered most of Cimino's medical expenses.

Ten stitches and seven hours later, Cimino was released from the hospital, leaving only two tasks ahead of him: recuperating and telling his mother what had happened.

“She wanted to come here or send me back to Brazil,” Cimino said with a laugh.

For now, Cimino will remain in the United States as planned, though his mother does plan to visit sometime this upcoming holiday season.

Through the entire unfortunate experience, Cimino has learned a valuable lesson about safety.

“I will start to use my helmet,” he said, noting that “in Brazil, usually we don't use helmets to protect ourselves.”

October 18, 2008