Watch CBS News

High School Football Player Gets Hit By Car, And Vehicle Got The Worst Of It

HACIENDA HEIGHTS (CBSLA.com) —  It's a story about how tough and solid a high school football player is — or one about a car that lost in a contest between man and machine.

Los Altos lineman David Tolmachoff was hit six months ago by a Toyota Scion going about 30 mph.

The football player sustained a concussion and broken jaw, he lost a lot of blood and had many bumps and bruises. He was seriously hurt, but he didn't get the worst of it.

The car was totaled.

Car totaled
This car hit high school senior David Tolmachoff -- and the vehicle is out of commission. (credit: David Tolmachoff)

KCAL9's Peter Daut met Tolmachoff, 17, and talked to him about the strange and improbable story.

"I've been through a lot," the high school senior told Daut.

Perhaps understatement of 2014.

It happened May 21. Tolmachoff has just met with a college recruiter when he got on his bike to go home.

Crash. He got hit by the Scion, and friends who witnessed the aftermath were surprised Tolmachoff survived.

No surprise, he's become something of a legend on campus being someone who survived being hit by a car.

The story is more remarkable because this weekend he will help lead his team during a CIF championship game against Colony High.

Minutes after the crash, Tolmachoff's coach, Dale Ziola, arrived on the scene. He immediately assumed the worse.

"But then I see David sitting up, bleeding from the mouth, conscious and talking and I'm like 'Unbelievable,' " Ziola said.

With his jaw wired shut for six weeks, the 6-foot-1, 235-pound Tolmachoff had to put everything in a blender to eat it, including his beloved In-N-Out double-double burgers and fries.

"It tasted exactly the same, actually, you just can't chew it. It sits on your tongue," he explained.

Tolmachoff, who also maintains a 4.0 GPA, considers himself lucky to have made it this far.

"There's got a be a reason that I'm still alive, and enjoy and just try to be as happy as I can be," he said.

Daut asked Tolmachoff what he planned for the future, and he says he hopes to continue to play football in college while studying mechanical engineering.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.