CHERRYVILLE, N.C. --
A teenage firefighter returned to school on Tuesday, almost two months after a crash that left him seriously injured.
Clay Thornburg, a senior at Cherryville High School and a Hughs Pond volunteer firefighter, suffered a brain injury in the late December crash. He was responding to a house fire when his pickup truck slid on a patch of ice and flipped several times.
Thornburg was released from the hospital last week.
Thornburg’s fellow firefighters gave him a ride to school, where hundreds of students were lined up to welcome him.
“It was hard at first and now, he's OK,” classmate Rikki Love said. “It’s a miracle he's back so fast.”
The mayor of Cherryville presented Thornburg with a key to the city.
“That's all I could do is smile and wave,” Thornburg said. “The hugs from everybody -- it was great.”
He missed nearly two months of school but is still expected to graduate in May.
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