Klaw Reh was seriously injured after being run over by a garbage truck in October 2024
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/teen-graduates-062826-c27830b6bf034ce296be91404f9de412.jpg "More than a year and a half after 17-year-old Klaw Reh almost died when he was run over by a garbage truck in Buffalo, New York, he did something no one could have imagined possible back then: He graduated from high school.")
Credit: WKBW
NEED TO KNOW
- Klaw Reh was paralyzed and lost his leg after being run over twice by a garbage truck in 2024
- The teenager has undergone over 20 surgeries and remains in long-term care nearly two years after the accident
- On June 25, Reh attended his high school graduation, delivering an emotional speech following the incident
A teenage boy who was left paralyzed after being run over by a garbage truck attended his high school graduation after months of recovery in New York.
At around 8:16 a.m. local time on Oct. 2, 2024, 17-year-old Klaw Reh was hit by a garbage truck reversing “in the wrong direction” near the intersection of Rhode Island Street and 14th Street in Buffalo, the Erie County District Attorney's Office (ECDAO) said in a news release.
The teen, who was crossing the street at the time, was run over twice by the truck, causing catastrophic injuries that left him paralyzed from the waist down, local ABC affiliate WKBW reported.
“I was walking on my block and I saw this garbage truck,” Reh told the outlet of the 2024 incident. “I was dragged along twice. It felt like [I couldn't] breathe.”
Reh suffered devastating injuries in the incident. His pelvis was crushed and he had to have his left leg amputated above the hip following the incident, according to a GoFundMe set up by his family.
"Klaw is now a paraplegic, paralyzed from the waist down. He has undergone over 20 surgeries. He is still hospitalized at Erie County Medical Center, fighting every day to recover," a family member wrote on GoFundMe. The fundraiser has raised nearly $9,000 to support Reh's medical fees.
Reh hasn't been able to return home since the incident, as he continues to receive long-term care at ECMC and Terrace View Long-Term Care. “It feels really lonely. I want to be able to see my siblings at home,” he told WKBW.
On Thursday, June 25, Reh left the hospital for the first time to attend his high school graduation, according to a Facebook post shared by Leonardo da Vinci High School.
“Last night, Klaw Reh left the hospital for the first time to graduate with his class,” the post read, alongside a photo of Reh holding his graduation diploma at the school. “…We were so happy to have our Dragon, Klaw Reh, with us on stage and even happier that he stayed for pictures and time with friends…”
In emotional footage released by WKBW, Reh was met with loud cheers as he appeared in a wheelchair onstage during his high school graduation ceremony, in front of his surprised fellow students.
Credit: WKBW
Reh said in an emotional speech at the ceremony, “Class of 2026, congratulations to all of you. It's been a tough road, but with the support of family, I made it through. If I can do it, anyone can do it. I hope I inspired you to keep going and never give up in life.”
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In December 2025, the garbage truck driver, Sasiya Davis-Johnson, was sentenced to three years of probation. The 48-year-old's license was revoked for the duration of her sentence, according to the ECDAO's release.
