Girl blinded by car accident learns how to ski

FRESNO, Calif. (KMPH) It was nearly six years ago that Shaela Warkentin's life changed forever.

She was the passenger in a back seat of a car that was struck from the rear at 50 miles per hour by a man driving under the influence.

Emergency responders were amazed Shaela survived, and she has been surprising people ever since.

She needed extensive therapy to learn how to walk and talk again, and the injuries Shaela suffered that night left her blind. But the former Bullard High School student has not allowed the loss of sight to prevent her from experiencing life.

Now, nearly six years later, Shaela can be found on the slopes of China Peak. She has learned to ski with the help of a special instructor.

Thanks to the Central California Adaptive Sports Center, Shaela is also a mountain biker and a rock climber.

Now in her fourth year at Fresno State, she is a Psychology major, hoping to help teenagers going through hard times in life.