AMERICAN FORK, Utah — For Cody Greenburg, cutting hair is his livelihood at Anvil Barber Company.
On June 27, however, everything changed.
“I was mid-haircut and I saw a truck coming in to park, and he just kept going, just kept going through the parking spot, into the wall, and into the barbershop,” Cody said.
At the time, it was just Cody and his client inside.
“You're never expecting a truck to come through the wall," he said. "And so as that's happening, you're like, 'Okay, this is happening,' but because time slows down, it's like, 'Oh, it's still happening and it's still happening and it's still happening,' until it's finally done, and then you're kind of standing there like, 'What just happened?'"
His client took the brunt of the hit, but luckily only had to get stitches above the eye.
“As for me, I had a torn meniscus, torn ACL, and torn MCL,” Cody added.
The shop next door called 911, and Cody’s family started hearing the news.
“I immediately left work because I'm thinking the worst could happen. We haven't heard from him. You don't know what happens when a truck goes through a shop,” said Cody’s brother, Jared Greenburg.
Cody was released from the emergency room that evening but later had to have surgery.
It was at this moment that he realized he was completely starting over.
“It was really, really overwhelming. I have a great support system of family and friends and my wife and kids that just constantly reminding me, like, 'Hey, it's just... one day at a time, right? This is just a moment in time, and we'll get through it,'” Cody said.
The community came together and raised $14,000, and with their help, along with his family, Cody was able to pick up the pieces.
“He was getting up every day, doing this physical therapy like he should. He was in here constantly, countless hours,” Jared said. "That's perseverance. He wasn't going to let this one set him back.”
Despite everything, Cody said he has no animosity toward the driver.
“There was just a lot of bad luck floating around, and it had to land somewhere, right? You know, there wasn't any malicious intent with the driver. Just as far as we know, just mixed up the gas and the brake,” he said.
Cody had just bought the shop two months prior to the accident, and seeing the open sign lit up again was a feeling he would never forget.
“It felt like I kind of got this new toy, and then it was broken, and so it’s great to be back behind the chair, back connecting with the community, and it's the career that I've made,” Cody said.
“There's not any barber that can cut hair like Cody, for me anyway,” Jared said. "It's just been so heartwarming to see. I have faith in humanity again. It's just been really good to see him cutting in the chair.”
