After being in a medically-induced coma for more than 10 days, a Columbia Falls man is slowly but surely recovering from a freak accident that left him with a severe head injury.

Daniel Busick, 18, was en route to a church conference in Salt Lake City with his parents on Sept. 30. They were traveling between Idaho Falls and Dubois when they stopped so Busick could go to the bathroom in the dark along the highway.

Busick stepped over the edge of the roadway and fell into a 15-foot deep culvert and struck his head. He was airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center where doctors put him into a medically-induced coma until Oct. 11. A few days later, Busick was breathing on his own.

On Monday, a family friend contacted the Hungry Horse News and said Busick was up and walking. He completed 200 steps with the help of a walker - a great accomplishment considering he took just three steps a few days earlier.

Busick is also smiling and winking at people, and there's hope that while he may have some brain damage, he will recover from the accident. He still can't speak because he has a tracheotomy.

The family is keeping an online blog about his recovery at www.danielbusicksjourney.blogspot.com. Friends created a bank account to cover expenses beyond what insurance covers. The cost of the airlift alone was $23,000. The account is under his father Matthew Busick's name at any Glacier Bank branch.

Busick was a popular student at Columbia falls High School. He graduated last spring and played on the football team.

His hospital room is decorated with cards. His mother, Becky, works at the Montana Veterans Home and his father, Matthew, works at Eisinger Motors. Matthew is back at work, but Becky has been staying with her son as he recovers.