Lead actor in Rocky Horror Picture Show thought he'd never walk again after near-fatal accident in 2004

By RENEE JEAN
Daily Journal Assistant Managing Editor

Published: Sunday, October 05, 2008
Updated: Saturday, October 4, 2008 1:50 PM CDT

Few women could walk in 6-inch heels, but Jacob Davis makes it look easy. He's the star villain in the Rocky Horror Picture Show that is playing at Mineral Area College (MAC) this weekend.

Davis' debut on the MAC stage in a leading role is not quite as easy as he makes it all look. Four years ago, he was unsure he'd ever walk again, much less act on a stage and perform fast-paced action sequences like those in the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

He was in a car accident that nearly killed him in 2004. A teenager at the time, he had been driving a little too fast on his way home one night when another car suddenly appeared in his lane. He swerved to avoid the truck and lost control of his vehicle. It rolled end over end for 85 feet before coming to rest. It broke his back, his tailbone and his pelvis in five places. He only missed being ejected — and likely killed instantly — by a foot.

That foot became lodged between the steering wheel and seat and kept him from being thrown out of the car.

He was lucky to be alive and knew it. His mother gave him an angel he hung above his bed during his recovery. There’s an angel with everyone, he believes, and he still has that angel today. He keeps it on his computer screen at home. But as the young man then considered what might lie ahead and all the dreams and plans he was unsure he could pursue, he did not always feel so lucky.

Doctors told him he might not walk again and warned if he did, it would be a long, painful journey. A lot of time went by before he could even begin recovering his ability to walk. By then his muscles had seriously atrophied. His first steps weren't steps at all. They were stretching and pulling exercises.

And they were excruciating.

He pushed and pulled against a yellow rubberband tourniquet every other day. On the off days, it was pushups with a ball.

The exercises were to build muscle tension and took about two hours each day. They were quite painful, Davis says, and it was something he had to do on his own, from home. The family's insurance had run out and, with his mom staying home to care for him, they could not pay for a facility.

A doctor told Jacob he didn't have to go through the painful exercises, he could stay in a wheelchair ... but, he warned, if Davis stayed there too long, he’d be in that chair forever.

It was so difficult Jacob at times feared that he wouldn't be able to keep doing the exercises, yet with the support and encouragement of family, he persevered. After about three months, it was time to try a walker. But that, too, had its problems.

He could not put any weight on his legs yet, or the doctors warned they would have to start all over again. The fear of that made him wary of even trying this next phase.

"I got really frustrated, too," Davis said. "You wouldn't think it would be so hard, just to take a step. I would get mad at myself. Legs are supposed to walk, and they weren't walking."

Keep trying, his mother urged.

"I told her I was afraid and she said you can't be afraid. Just like in life, it's not a wise decision to take chances all the time, but you have to take chances sometimes. That was the advice I needed," Jacob said.

Finally, after months of struggle, Davis found himself able to walk. And he kind of overdid it, he was so elated.

"I was so sore, my legs hurt so much," Davis said. "It was just such a rush, and I didn't even realize it hurt."

He was on the road to recovery physically, but a depression lingered. The accident had taken a toll on his outlook. He went to college for a time, but pain drove him to drop out. Initially, it was to be a temporary absence, but it began to stretch into years.

Then he saw the audition call for the Rocky Horror Picture Show. A cult classic, the show has a following all around the world and has been immensely popular since the late ‘70s. It is a fun show, with lots of campy humor, pranks and audience participation. The audition rekindled his interest in theater. He had to try out for that.

"I encouraged him to do it because he had been in such a slump,” Davis’ mother said. “He seemed to lose interest in everything for a while. The main thing is, these kids are having fun. It's given him a whole new attitude on life."

Director Rick Giles said he did the Rocky Horror Picture Show because of popular demand. So many kids had asked for it over the years, he finally decided to give them their wish. Although he did not know Jacob at the time, he is particularly pleased to see how the show has helped him.

"When I first talked to him he wasn't sure where he was going, what he was going to do," Giles said. "He knew what he'd like to do. Interacting with the other kids really brought him a fever to get on with improving his life, moving on with his life."

Cast members have been extremely supportive of Jacob, Giles added, helping him figure out ways to approach the physical activities he and his family had feared might preclude pursuing his interest in theater.

Logan Merrill, in particular, has helped Jake learn to roll with a fall to minimize the chances of injury. Merrill was formerly a paratrooper and plays Rocky in the show. He frequently pushes Davis to practice certain moves, to reduce the chance of an injury.

Jacob sent a card to everyone on the cast thanking them for all their support and telling them how much it has meant to him.

“Everyone here has been so great,” Jacob said. “I have really found a great group of friends. There’s not a thing I would not do for anyone in this theater.”

He is still quick to advise teenagers to slow down when they are driving. But now he adds, they should never give up, either. “Tomorrow the sun will rise. There’s no telling what the tide will bring. Never, ever give up,” he said.

"Jake is coming from a very challenging background," Merrill said. "As long as he stays on the course, an ability to survive and adapt seem to be a part of him. And I think he is seeing, he's always going to have people there to carry him. And he carries them, too. He doesn’t think so, but he does."

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