Boy Wakes Up From Coma Speaking A Language He Was Never Fluent In

For Reuben Nsemoh, life’s been full of ambiguities lately.

Following a concussion he suffered in a soccer game, the suburban Atlanta teen was troubled about his difficulty in concentrating. He was worried over whether he’ll ever get to play his favorite sport.

But the million dollar question is: how is it that he’s suddenly speaking fluent Spanish?

Another player accidentally kicked the 16-year old in the head during a game that put him in a coma.

When Nsemoh woke up, he did something he’d never done before: speak Spanish like a native.

Although he could already speak some Spanish, his parents said that he was never fluent in the language until his concussion.

But he’s starting to lose his fluency in Spanish as his English is coming back slowly.

Brain injuries can change a person’s speech pattern and give them a different accent. This extremely rare condition is called foreign accent syndrome. The first known case was documented in 1941. It involved a Norwegian woman who began speaking with a German accent after she suffered injuries to the brain during a German bombing run.

Since then there have been a few dozen reported cases.

In Australia, a former bus driver got in a car accident that left her with a broken jaw and back. When she regained consciousness, she was left with something absolutely surprising: a French accent.

Three years ago, police found a Navy veteran passed out in a Southern California motel. He had no memory of his previous life when he woke up and spoke only Swedish.

And early this year, a Texas woman has been speaking with a British accent ever since a jaw surgery.

Dr. Karen Croot, one of the few specialists in foreign accent syndrome, said a few years ago that the condition is an impairment of motor control. “Speech is one of the most complicated things we do, and there are a lot of brain centers involved in coordinating a lot of moving parts. If one or more of them are damaged, that can affect the timing, melody and tension of their speech,” she added.

 

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Six Year Old Boy Wounded in S.C. Schoolyard Shooting Dies

Jacob Hall, the six year old victim of a schoolyard shooting in South Carolina died on Saturday, a coroner said. Jacob was fatally wounded after a 14-year-old boy opened fire at the school grounds. The incident happened moments after the teenager killed his own father.

According to a family member, Jacob sustained injuries which ripped his femoral artery causing blood loss. Because Jacob loss so much blood, it led to major brain injury, and had been on life support.

Greg Shore, the Anderson County Coroner at a Greenville hospital said on a telephone interview, “Unfortunately he’s lost the battle, at 12:56 p.m. today”. The body of the boy will be transferred for an autopsy on Sunday.

The deadly shooting happened on Wednesday at Townville Elementary School in Townville, South Carolina.

Authorities said the 14 year old boy first shot and killed his 47 year old father, Jeffrey Osborne. Osborne was shot while watching television in their home, about 2 miles (3km) from the school. The teenager then drove the pickup truck then apparently crashed into the fence and opened fire on the school. He also shot Jacob, another 6 year old boy and a teacher.

Closed door hearing

The teenager was charged on Friday with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder. The 10th Judicial Circuit court will handle the case in closed doors because the suspect is a juvenile.

Authorities are still looking for motives and links in the shooting since the suspect is home-schooled.

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