LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - In the spring of 2024, McNeese State wide receiver Makhi Paris was driving alone from his home in New Orleans back to Lake Charles when his life took a sudden turn.

He fell asleep at the wheel just minutes from campus.

“The last thing I remember is my GPS saying I had ten minutes left until I made it to where I was staying,” Paris said. “After that, I woke up, the car was in flames, and I was climbing out of my window.”

Paris had crashed and was found lying in a ditch with blood pouring down his face when first responders arrived on the scene.

“They were shocked by my condition, my face, I had a lot of blood on it,” he recalled. “I think I remember one of them asking for my parents’ phone number. After that, they sat me down and waited for the paramedics to a

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