Doctors now trying to wake up Rockwell teen injured in accident Dec. 10

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Staff report
ROCKWELL ó A Rockwell teen hit by a car while walking along Sides Road two weeks ago remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. However, family members said Monday night Clinton Lee Cook Zimmerman’s doctors have taken him off the medications that have kept him paralyzed and in a medically induced coma and are now trying to wake him up.Zimmerman, 18, of 359 E. Main St., Rockwell, was injured the night of Dec. 10. He was walking with traffic while wearing dark clothes, heading northwest on Sides Road.
According to the N.C. Highway Patrol, Zimmerman was hit by a 2006 Honda driven by Judy Huffman Lefler, 64, of 403 Joe St., Rockwell. An accident report indicated Zimmerman was in Lefler’s lane of travel at the time of the accident. It was raining.
The Highway Patrol advises that pedestrians should always walk facing oncoming vehicles.
Zimmerman is a senior at East Rowan High School. He works at Dollar General in Rockwell.