Dana Rene Bowler / Star staff California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers escort a vehicle carrying Officer Anthony Pedeferri near Camarillo. Pedeferri was hit by a car in December.

Dana Rene Bowler / Star staff Family and friends gather on Las Posas Road on Wednesday to welcome home CHP Officer Anthony Pedeferri. The officer spent seven weeks in Ventura County Medical Center, then months in a Colorado rehabilitation facility.

Six months and 13 days after he was hit by an allegedly intoxicated driver, California Highway Patrol Officer Anthony Pedeferri returned home to begin a new chapter of his life.

Pedeferri was paralyzed from the chest down by the accident, which occurred while he was working on Highway 101 north of Ventura.

While he rode toward his Camarillo home Wednesday for the first time since the crash, dozens of his fellow motorcycle officers rode slowly in front of him, and he waved through the window of a van to about 40 cheering well-wishers, some of whom wore T-shirts and rubber bracelets bearing his name.

"We're excited to have him back here," said Officer Shawna Davison, a spokeswoman for the Ventura CHP. "There's definitely a hole in this office without him."

Until Wednesday, Pedeferri had not been home since Dec. 19, 2007.

That afternoon, he was standing on the right side of a car on the right shoulder of Highway 101 northbound near Faria Beach when a pickup truck slammed into the vehicle, killing its driver — Andres Parra, 21, of Phoenix — and launching Pedeferri at least 30 feet into a ditch on the side of the roadway.

The pickup's driver, Jeremy White, 20, of Paso Robles, is awaiting trial on charges including gross vehicular manslaughter and causing injury while driving under the influence. He has pleaded not guilty.

Investigators were never able to determine if Pedeferri had stopped Parra's vehicle or if he stopped to assist the young man, Davison said.

Pedeferri's life was irrevocably changed by the accident, but his recovery has inspired relatives, friends and doctors.

Before the crash, Pedeferri was in top shape. At 36, he was a recent finisher of the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii and an 11-year veteran of the CHP.

After the crash, he was airlifted to Ventura County Medical Center, where he spent days fighting for his life.

After he was stabilized, Pedeferri spent weeks on a ventilator, had numerous procedures and battled collapsed lungs and staph infections, said his younger brother, Mark Pedeferri, 34.

"We're all pretty confident that if he wasn't in the shape he was, he wouldn't have made it through," said Mark Pedeferri, who chronicled his brother's recovery in a blog.

Days at the hospital turned into seven weeks. Pedeferri then flew to Colorado, where he underwent intensive rehabilitation and therapy at Craig Hospital in Denver, which specializes in rehabilitating patients with spinal cord and brain injuries.

There, his recovery was amazing, said Dr. Gary Maerz, the physician who cared for him.

"Overall, Tony has done incredibly well," Maerz said. "It's hard to state the magnitude and the severity of the injuries that he had."

Pedeferri's spine was severed near the base of his neck. His brain and brain stem were injured, and he sustained trauma and fractures to his chest, lungs and his left shoulder, Maerz said.

In addition to leaving him paralyzed, these injuries were still affecting Pedeferri's ability to breathe, talk, swallow and see when he arrived at Craig Hospital.

After months of intensive rehabilitation, Pedeferri's lung function returned to near normal. He now has about 90 percent of his function back in his upper body, and he should recover 95 percent, Maerz said.

He is now able to speak, albeit in a raspy voice, and he can balance, eat his favorite foods — pizza and hamburgers — and manage his bodily functions.

Before Pedeferri left Craig Hospital, he was able to begin swimming, try out hand-powered bicycles and drive a specially modified car.

He even inspired Maerz to compete a few weeks ago in his first triathlon, the physician said.

Pedeferri's positive attitude sustained his family while they were supporting him, said Mike Shaffer, a close friend who met Pedeferri in 1999 while both were competing in an Ironman. "Even if he was on a ventilator and could only open his eyes a little bit, he has always been optimistic."

Even when he got the news that, barring a medical miracle, he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, Pedeferri remained focused on what he could do, his brother Mark recalled. And he's already considering returning to competition as a disabled athlete, Mark said. "He's made our job to support him really easy."

Many other supporters visited Pedeferri while he was recovering, and colleagues and friends organized at least 10 fundraisers to help him and his family during the long ordeal.

Pedeferri's brother called the support overwhelming. Final numbers hadn't been tallied this week, and some fundraisers are ongoing, but so far they have raised at least $100,000, Davison said.

Some of money helped family members shuttle back and forth to Ventura and Colorado from their home in Seattle, Mark said.

The rest of the money should come in handy as Pedeferri adjusts to the demands and restrictions of his new life, Shaffer said.

Pedeferri will need lifelong medical care, and he will have to learn how to keep his strength up without injuring his shoulders, which will now take the stress of his entire body weight, Maerz said. He also will have to hone wheelchair skills and learn how to get around without his legs or core muscles.

And for the first time in months, he won't be able to rely on the constant support of medical professionals.

"This is like day No. 1 of life No. 2 for him," Shaffer said Wednesday.

Pedeferri and his family on Wednesday were both thrilled and apprehensive about his homecoming, Mark said.

"The challenges really start now."