By Ann Cantrell
Staff Writer

    He may give his mother a heart attack, but, despite a recent paragliding accident, Steve Barrett plans to fly again. Over nine weeks ago, Barrett, assistant director of maintenance for Morgan County Schools, sustained serious injuries that included both broken arms and legs in a paragliding accident near Carnesville. His mother, Dottie Barrett, said that Barrett liked to go paragliding every pretty day in the early morning or late afternoon. February 16 was different though, when everything that could go wrong, went wrong, said Dottie Barrett. Steve Barrett though is not the type of man to give up something, says his mother. She said that as soon as he can walk again, he plans to fly again.
    Bob Monk described Barrett as a man who lived on the edge, riding his Harley Davidson and paragliding. “Steve Barrett is a man who lived life to the fullest,” said Monk. For the first five weeks after his accident, Steve Barrett was in a coma and did not wake up until Easter Sunday. His mother sees this day, and many others, as one of the many miracles they have witnessed during Barrett’s recovery.
    “Everyday we see small miracles,” said Dottie Barrett.  Right now, Barrett is preparing to move into an orthopedic facility. His bones are set and he is done with surgery, says Dottie Barrett. He is also able to fully communicate with other people and is gradually regaining his short term memory.  She credits his recovery to his determination and his good physical condition.
    Currently, he still gets confused due to the loss of some short-term memory. Until he recovers completely and returns to work, he will be greatly missed, says Monk.   “Steve Barrett is probably the smartest man I’ve ever known. He can see the big picture of what’s going on and the details of what’s going on,” said Monk. This attention to detail allowed Barrett to fix anything and Monk said that Morgan County schools are not the same without him. Barrett also paid attention to his safety while he was paragliding.  There is a fund set up at the Bank of Madison, the Steve Barrett Recovery Fund, in which people can donate money. Tye-dye bracelets with the words “Let’s Go Fly” are also being sold around town to raise support for Barrett.