On October 9th, 2025, Charles Weckwerth and his girlfriend Mary were driving down Ward Parkway on what seemed to be an ordinary Thursday night. Without warning, a car that was driving the wrong direction — north in the southbound lanes of Ward Parkway — slammed head-on into Charles and Mary.

Both Charles and Mary were rushed to different hospitals with life-threatening injuries.

Charles is now fighting for his life.

In the crash, he suffered traumatic brain injuries. The impact of the head-on collision left his pelvis, sternum and three ribs broken. His arms and legs were fractured in multiple places. He also sustained a bruised heart and a punctured lung.

Since that evening, he has been in a medically induced coma.

Though he fights for every breath, motionless and bound to a hospital bed, the throngs of visitors that have rallied to his bedside attest to how he lives his life. He is a caring friend, a fearless artist, an avid student, a loving boyfriend, and a beloved son. Family and friends have come from near and far to show their support.

In spite of her own serious injuries, Mary has already begun physical therapy. She is determined to get out of the hospital and be at his side.

Charles’ parents Doug Weckwerth and Catherine Montgomery, both local to Topeka, KS, have been with their son every day since the accident, living out of suitcases in hotels near the hospital.

Before the crash, Charles and Mary had plans to move into a new apartment in Kansas City’s West Bottoms. Charles was applying to masters programs and they were both looked forward to traveling across the country to decide where they’d be placing their roots for the next few years of their lives. But in a singular moment their lives were forever altered.

Once Charles wakes from his coma, the rigors of physical, occupational, speech, and mental health therapies await him. There is a long road ahead of him.

If you would like to help Charles and his family on their journey to recovery, please donate to his GoFundMe.