At 11:37 a.m. on Dec. 23, Nick Schneider had reason to be excited.

He was home.

“It’s pretty good to come home,” Schneider said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

Schneider returned to his residence on Highway A in Warrenton after spending more than two months rehabilitating from a car accident he suffered in Columbia. The 21-year-old was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries from the accident that happened on Sept. 2.

“We’re thrilled that he’s home, especially right before Christmas,” said Anthony Schneider, Nick’s older brother. “There was a point of time we didn’t know when or if he was going to be able to (come home). We’re beyond excited.”

Family members held a welcome home parade for Schneider along Highway A on Dec. 23. The Warren County Sheriff’s Department led the procession of vehicles that started at the Truxton exit off Interstate 70 and ended at Schneider’s home. Numerous people were waving and holding “Welcome Home” signs along the three-mile route. There were also several people standing at the I-70 overpass west of Jonesburg showing their support.

“It’s been a long journey, so we’re pretty excited that he’s able to come home,” said Schneider’s aunt, Ann Schneider-Graff, who was standing on the corner of Highway A and North Service Road. “He’s gotten incredibly well. In Nick’s style, he overcomes it all. He’s got such incredible resilience.”

Anita Schneider, Nick’s mother, said she was thrilled with the huge turnout during the parade.

“It’s amazing,” Anita said. “We have a lot of good friends and families. We have a big family. A lot of the family members put all of this together for us. He was very excited to see everybody out here.”

On the evening of Sept. 2, Schneider was riding a moped scooter westbound on Green Meadows Road when he was struck head on by a Ford Explorer that crossed the centerline while driving in the opposite direction. Schneider, who was wearing a helmet, was ejected from the moped. He was then taken to a local hospital.

Schneider had to get his right leg amputated. He started rehabilitation on Oct. 7.

Anthony said his younger brother has made huge progress since his accident.

“He worked extremely hard,” Anthony said. “Anybody who knows Nick knows how determined he is. When he was able to communicate with us, he told us from the get-go that he was walking out of the hospital. He wasn’t able to walk out. He was in a wheelchair, but he made it out a lot quicker than I think the nurses and the doctors expected him to. He surprised everybody with the rate of his recovery, for sure.”

Schneider, the youngest of five children, is a senior at the University of Missouri-Columbia and is studying agriculture systems management. For leisure, he plays the guitar and sings.

“He’s been singing at some of the local establishments up at Sidetracked (Bar and Grill) in Pendleton and down in Hermann, Jonesburg and Warrenton,” Anita said. “He has a following of fans just for his music.”

Schneider will be doing some more rehabilitating. Starting on Jan. 1, he will be spending more than five hours a day of therapy five days a week at the SSM Health Day Institute in Warrenton. Schneider returned to Columbia on Dec. 24 to start the process of getting a prosthetic leg.

“He’s got a long road ahead of him, but he has made tremendous progress,” Anita said. “So we’re very thankful.”

Anita said her son was happy to see all of his family members and friends two days before Christmas.

“When we pulled off of the interstate, the sheriff’s department was greeting us,” she said. “After we got going again, he was like, ‘Are all of these people here for me?’ He was really excited to see everybody.”