Teenager who defied the odds after crash, walks at graduation

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - A teen who nearly died almost three years ago finally walked across the stage at graduation.

In August 2017, Allie Gilkerson was riding on a motorcycle when it crashed on State Route 152, the night before the first day of her senior year at Wayne High School.

The crash caused several severe injuries, and Allie was thought to be brain dead.

Seven months later, Allie was finally able to leave a Pittsburgh hospital and come home.

A year and a half after the crash, Allie took her first steps.

“I would tell her to fight and keep fighting because she has a lot of people waiting on her,” said her sister Brittani Gilkerson in August 2017.

Fast forward to June 2020, Allie met a milestone that many take for granted. She was able to walk across the stage and graduate from Wayne High School.

Allie’s heartwarming accomplishment was greeted with rounds of applause by classmates as she was given her diploma.