Trent Creswell recalls that on the day of his life-altering accident, June 16, he met with his mother and friends for lunch to celebrate his acceptance to a summer theater program in Massachusetts.

“They were kidding me that nothing bad ever happened to me,” said the senior at Chattanooga High Center for Creative Arts.

Less than four hours later, while bicycling down a sidewalk along Dallas Road, the teen was hit head-on by a car whose driver had lost control going an estimated 50 mph. Mr. Creswell suffered massive injuries.

During his three-month recovery, the 18-year-old kept a journal. With encouragement from a teacher, he entered that emotional record of his recuperation into the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts’ YoungARTS competition — and won.

In December, he was chosen one of two Tennesseans among 141 high school seniors selected nationwide as 2009 NFAA finalists.

On Tuesday, the 18-year-old learned he also is an NFAA silver medalist in the Creative Nonfiction category. In addition, he is one of 20 students chosen from the 141 to be nominated for consideration as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

“This tragedy has given me so much more than it has taken away,” Mr. Creswell said.

THE WRECK

The accident broke both of Mr. Creswell’s legs, his right elbow, both sides of his pelvis, his right shoulder and his jaw. He cracked ribs and fractured four vertebrae in his upper spinal cord. His facial injuries, however, were the most critical.

“The bones in his face were described as flakes,” said Jinger Wadel, Mr. Creswell’s mother. Tommy Creswell is the teen’s father.

Mrs. Wadel said family members were notified of the accident about 4:30 p.m. Arriving at Erlanger hospital’s emergency room, they learned doctors were stabilizing Mr. Creswell for surgery.

“They laid his face back on, and Dr. Mark Brzezienski stitched it on,” Mrs. Wadel said. “He was in surgery until 2 a.m.”

Two weeks later, Dr. Larry Sargent, chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the UT-Chattanooga College of Medicine, performed a daylong surgery to repair the teen’s face.

“He had a very unusual and severe injury to his face in the sense that all the facial bones were fractured. They required repair, but, in addition, he had extensive soft-tissue injuries,” said Dr. Sargent.

“He sustained a blow to the face that cut a lot of the soft tissue of the nose, cheek and forehead to the bone,” he said. “A large portion of his face was almost ripped off and left hanging by a small section of tissue on the opposite side.”

Dr. Sargent said Mr. Creswell has recovered well, but will need some additional work on soft-tissue injuries to his face.

Mr. Creswell remained in a medically induced coma for three weeks after the accident. One week after waking, he was moved to St. Barnabas Nursing Home.

RECORDING HIS RECOVERY

During her son’s four-week stay at Erlanger, Mrs. Wadel began recording treatments, events and the family’s emotions.

“Trent is such a writer that I felt if I didn’t keep meticulous notes and tell him how I was feeling, he would be very upset,” Mrs. Wadel said.

Once awake, her son took over the journal, and found writing about his emotions and frustrations while his jaw was wired shut to be therapeutic.

“As soon as I was allowed to use my right arm, I wrote 30 pages almost nonstop about how I felt, how I felt about my friends, about my future, about recovery, about God,” he said.

A huge fan of Batman, Mr. Creswell wrote about how upset he was at missing the opening day of “The Dark Knight,” he said.

Adam Kilgore, social services director at St. Barnabas, along with Damara Hutton, a family friend, obtained 20 tickets to an opening-day showing of the movie for Mr. Creswell and his friends. Wearing a back brace, an eye patch and riding to the theater in an ambulance obtained by Mr. Kilgore, the teen got his wish.

After two weeks at St. Barnabas, Mr. Creswell was moved to Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation.

DEFYING THE ODDS

Mrs. Wadel said the family was told her son might take as long as long as six months before walking. Mr. Creswell took six steps on the fifth week after the accident and was walking with assistance by the sixth week.

Doctors told the family not to expect the teen to return to school this academic year, but Mr. Creswell returned to the Center for Creative Arts just two weeks after fall semester began and has maintained his honor-roll status.

Mr. Creswell, a former musical theater student, has been able to resume singing, but has limited range of motion in his shoulder. He said vision in his right eye remains weak due to a dead spot caused by nerve damage.

He has a rod in each leg, and the student said he does yoga three times a week to stay limber.

Mrs. Wadel said the medical bills have passed $600,000. The family declined further comment on the case or other parties involved in the accident.

HIS AWARD

On a visit with Mr. Creswell during his stay in Siskin Hospital, CCA teacher Allan Ledford suggested the teen edit his journal and submit it to the NFAA competition.

“I knew many of the works considered top quality were things that came from passionate experiences,” Mr. Ledford said.

With the help of former CCA teacher Mia Hansford, Mr. Creswell condensed his story to meet the 16-page entry requirements. Titled “Auto-Bike-Ography,” the writing juxtaposes descriptions of actual treatment with medical-induced hallucinations, leaving it to readers to determine which they are reading.

According to NFAA officials, more than 6,000 students submitted entries for finalists’ spots in 32 categories.

“This is the most prestigious award in the country that a young artist can get,” said Chattanooga sculptor John Henry. Mr. Henry has been an NFAA board member for 20 years and now is board vice chairman.

Mr. Creswell and other finalists spent a week this month in Miami, where they attended workshops, master classes and presented their work at a reading at the University of Miami. As a silver medalist, Mr. Creswell will receive a $5,000 cash prize.

“To me, the prize was getting to meet these kids who are all as obsessed with what they do as I am,” Mr. Creswell said.

Mr. Henry said NFAA is the only organization able to nominate high school seniors to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.

“That’s the highest honor a young artist can get in the country,” he said.

Mr. Creswell said he will learn whether he is a Presidential Scholar in June, almost a year to the day after the accident.

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