Scott Maloney Presents at Lewistown High School

On Wednesday, February 3, Scott Maloney gave an impactful presentation to students at Lewistown High School in Lewistown, Illinois.

Scott Maloney, the son of a Marine officer, was raised in the small town of Plainville, Mass., between Boston and Providence. The second of five children in a closely-knit family, Scott's future looked bright until his senior year of college when he pushed his luck to the limit.

On Sept. 18, 2004, after a night of drinking, the then 21-year-old college senior made the worst decision of his life. After realizing he had locked his keys inside his dorm room, Scott had a choice. He could call campus security to come and unlock his room – at the risk of implicating the underage freshmen with whom he was drinking – or he could scale a tree and enter his dorm room through an outside window. Scott chose the latter. During his climb, Scott's feet slipped and he suddenly lost his balance, hitting the pavement below from three stories up with his head taking the brunt of the fall. Just a few hours later Scott was pronounced brain dead, a victim of a traumatic brain injury, and his parents were told to say their final goodbye upon arrival at the hospital.

While he will never fully recover, through the miracle of modern medicine, prayer, determination, and years of physical therapy, Scott is able to do most of the things he did before the accident.

Today, Scott shares his story with High School and College audiences across the country – emphasizing the importance of making good decisions when it comes to alcohol and hoping to make a difference. He also talks about drinking responsibly and making plans for a safe ride home when adults 21+ plan to drink.