SEVIER COUNTY (WVLT) -- Pigeon Forge Police Lieutenant Steve Helton was almost killed last August when a hit and run driver slammed into him while he was off duty and riding his motorcycle.
The wreck put him in a coma for more than 30 days and he spent several more months recovering in the hospital.
"I basically had to learn to walk and talk all over again," he said.
On Sunday afternoon, Lt. Helton joined his fellow bikers for the annual Smoky Mountain Blessing of the Bikes in Kodak. It had just been a few weeks since he started riding again, but he was happy to be among friends.
“It’s hard to be back in and around after everything I went through, but I'm here and that's the best thing I can say,” he said.
There among more than 100 bikers, Lt. Helton received the bike-side prayer that he believes saved his live.
"God is the reason why I'm alive and I know that,” he said, acknowledging that since the accident, his life has been filled with strength through scripture.
Jim White of the Shiloh Riders Association helped organize the Bike side prayer.
"We bless the machine and we bless the individual,” he said. “Through the blessing, we're asking that they be protected through the year and their life."
Faith is seen on the bikers jackets, helmets and motorcycles, to remind them that they should have no fears.
"You're continuously thinking about going down,” said Rev. Dennis Maples who gave the blessing. “The thought is always in a riders mind."
According to Lt. Helton, even his serious crash can’t get him to stop riding. Like his faith, his motorcycle is a way of life.
“I have got to put my trust and faith in God to know that I am able to go back to my home,” he said.
When the event ended, Lt. Helton mounted his motorcycle and took off, knowing that combined with his weekly physical therapy, he has both his home on earth and in heaven covered.
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