NORTH Carolina representative Madison Cawthorn was involved in a serious car crash in 2014.
But what happened to him and is he in a wheelchair? Below is everything you'll need to know…
Who is Madison Cawthorn?
Cawthorn, 26, is an American politician currently serving as the US Representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district.
The 26-year-old is a member of the Republican party.
Elected into Congress in 2020, Cawthorn is the youngest member of Congress since Jed Johnson Jr in the 1990s.
Cawthorn worked as a staffer in former White House chief of staff Mark Meadow's district office from 2015 to 2016.
In the March 2020 Republican primary for North Carolina's 11th congressional district, Cawthorn finished second behind Lynda Bennett, who had been endorsed both by former President Donald Trump and Meadows.
However, Bennett did not receive the required 30 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff and Cawthorn won the June runoff overwhelmingly.
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Cawthorn's victory was considered an upset.
In April 2021, the Cawthorn married his fiancée Bayardelle, writing on Twitter, "On April 3rd of 2014 my life changed. A car accident put me in a wheelchair and dashed my hopes for a future.
"On April 3rd of 2021, my life has once again changed. Marrying Cristina Bayardelle, now Cristina Cawthorn is the greatest honor, privilege and adventure of my life," he added.
What happened in Madison Cawthorn's accident?
In 2014, Cawthorn, who at the time was 18, was injured while returning from a spring-break trip from Florida.
He was riding as a passenger in a BMW X3 SUV near Daytona Beach, Florida when his friend Bradley Ledford fell asleep behind the wheel.
The SUV crashed into a concrete barrier while Cawthorn's feet were on the dashboard.
In a 2017 speech, Cawthorn said that Ledford left him "to die in a fiery tomb," however, Ledford publicly disputed this in 2021 saying that he pulled Cawthorn from the wreck once he escaped the car.
In their depositions, Cawthorn stated that he had "no memory from the accident," while Ledford said that he had helped rescue an unconscious Cawthorn.
The injuries from the accident left Cawthorn partially paralyzed from the waist down, and he now uses a wheelchair.
Cawthorn introduced his fiancée to the public in a tweet from October 2020, describing Bayardelle as an anesthesiologist assistant and a CrossFit athlete.
Bayardelle said that the couple met through a mutual friend and “hit it off,” and after four months “knew he was the one.”
Is Madison Cawthorn in a wheelchair?
Yes, Cawthorn is in a wheelchair after becoming paralysed from the waist down.
What did Bradley Ledford say about the crash?
In an interview with People, Ledford expanded on what happened immediately after the crash – and how he and Cawthorn have repaired their bond.
"Him and I have been through so much together," Ledford told the outlet.
He and Cawthorn had been returning to North Carolina from a spring break trip in Florida in April 2014 when, as Ledford later told police, started "dozing off."
Ledford veered from the interstate, crashing his father's SUV into a concrete barricade going about 65 miles per hour.
Cawthorn had been sleeping in the passenger seat, reclined back with his legs on the dashboard.
Cawthorn suffered "incapacitating" and "life-threatening" injuries, as the vehicle erupted into flames almost immediately after impact.
Ledford said he quickly "recognized that Maddy [Cawthorn] was unconscious and [I] was realizing that the situation was getting worse and worse."
Ledford explained how he moved toward Cawthorn and felt an intense heat on his right arm, then realized flames were engulfing the back half of the SUV.
He tried to open the driver-side door to escape, but it was jammed. He tried to kick out the windshield, but it wouldn't budge.
Instead, Ledford said, he reached over Cawthorn and punched out the passenger window.
He climbed out, landed on the concrete and immediately turned around to unbuckle Cawthorn, with whom he pleaded to wake up, he says.
"While I was pulling him out of the window, a bystander came by and helped me carry him away from the car," Ledford said.
"I remember his leg was pretty badly cut from the accident and we were sitting on the side of the interstate," Ledford recalled.
"So I took my shirt off and wrapped it around his leg and then just kind of stayed with him until the paramedics got there."
On election night in November 2020, Cawthorn gathered his family and friends in anticipation of a victory, and joining him was Ledford.
"This is the guy who saved my life," Cawthorn said of Ledford.
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