Houston business owner, father and cyclist is recovering after being nearly killed by driver

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - The new year brings a 'real' new beginning for a Houston business-owner who was almost killed by a driver who plowed into him last fall. It was where FM 2920 crosses over the Grand Parkway in Northwest Harris County just before sunrise, because that was the only time Philip Shama could find to ride with his busy schedule. 

But even with all the lights and technology to let him see and be seen, all it took was a driver running the light to jeopardize everything.

SUGGESTED: FBI, Harris County officials return to home of Shamsud-Din Jabbar to collect evidence

Today, it's a medical miracle that Shama is back in the Washington corridor business that bears his name, and able to be among family, friends, and customers. 

"I definitely don't remember the accident, and I don't remember anything from the next five days," he says.

The injuries that Shama suffered were catastrophic. Every rib on his left side was broken, along with a leg and shattered collarbone. Internal injuries and surgeries left him in a Medical Center ICU for more than a month. 

"The doctors, I guess, weren't sure, in the first day, if I was gonna' make it," he later learned. "To me, I woke up and was, like, I'm fine. What's wrong with me?"

Attorney Charlie Thomas, who founded the Bike Law Firm, says the story is a common one, "2024 was not a great year." 

Get news, weather and so much more on the new FOX LOCAL app 

Among his cases, Thomas represented cyclists hit by a teenage driver in Waller County in 2021. He says ambivalence and distraction are the main causes of drivers who hit cyclists. 

"If you're using your eyes, and you're looking through the windshield, you should be able to see anything in front of you and stop in time to not hit that person."

In the weeks that followed his crash, friends and the cycling community rallied with financial and emotional support for Philip Shama, his wife, and toddler twins. Going forward, he expects his bike riding will be different: more measured and more considered. But still, the experience of the last several months leaves him believing he's right where he belongs. 

"Seeing the support that I have from the cycling community, friends, customers, it was humbling and overwhelming," he says. "Which made me think, 'I can't give up, I can't stop,' because all these people believe in me."  

The driver who hit Shama stayed at the scene of the crash, but was not charged. He told investigators he 'had' the light, and Shama was unable to offer his side, because he was unconscious for days. Still, witnesses were found and said the driver was wrong, and a civil case is nearly settled to cover Philip Shama's financial loss.

His effort to fix the emotional injury continues.