May 18, 2009 issue
Bluffton crash survivor graduates
By Tyrel Linkhorn The Lima NewsPage:
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BLUFFTON, Ohio — On graduation day, Tim Berta walked.
Tim Berta, right, of Ida, Mich., a survivor of the Bluffton baseball team bus crash in March 2007, received a standing ovation as he walked across the stage and received his diploma from President James Harder, left. The two red roses in the bouquet of flowers symbolize David Betts and Tyler Williams, members of the class of 2009 who were killed in the crash. — Photo provided by Bluffton University.
It was more than just pomp and circumstance, more than receiving his college diploma in front of his family and friends Sunday under a sunny blue sky. He walked.
Of those who survived the Bluffton University bus crash in March 2007, Berta’s injuries were the most severe. He spent a week in a coma. Doctors removed a portion of his skull to relieve the swelling in his brain.
People told him that he would never be able to do it. Not graduate. Maybe not even walk.
“When they told me I would never do it, that just fueled me, because if you tell me ‘You’re not ever going to do this,’ well, I’m going to do it,” he said.
And he did. As he climbed the stairs to the stage on the university’s football field, Berta received a standing ovation. The congratulations from President James Harder lasted just a little bit longer.
Before the ceremony, Harder found the 24-year-old, smiled and gripped his hand. He told Berta how proud the university was that he was graduating.
“It really does seem like a miracle that Tim can graduate today,” Harder said. “Based on his own strength and his own determination he’s achieved his diploma, but he’s also inspired all of us.”
Berta struggles to find words that describe how he’s been treated in his recovery.
“People I don’t even know come up to me and say, ‘I’ve been praying for you,’ or ‘You’re an inspiration.’ And that’s just humbling,” he said.
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