P COUNTY, NC – After a devastating motorcycle crash in Daytona left him shattered in body but not in spirit, beloved outlaw moonshiner and thrill-seeker Josh Owens is staging a comeback that locals are calling nothing short of miraculous.
Just three months ago, Josh’s high-speed race took a brutal turn when he hit a slick of oil on the track’s final bend, launching him into a concrete wall at over 80 miles per hour. What followed was a life-threatening ordeal: 16 broken bones, a bruised aorta, punctured organs, and a brush with death that left him talking to Jesus.
“I thought I wasn’t good enough to go to heaven,” Josh confided in a tearful moment. “That was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through in my whole life.”
But in true outlaw fashion, Owens is refusing to stay down. Despite doctors’ warnings and visible agony, he’s already pushing himself back toward the woods and the stills.
THE LONG ROAD BACK
Henry and Kenny, his longtime moonshining partners, were among the first to visit Owens at his home, offering both support and caution.
“You moved around. Look how far you’ve come in just a couple months,” Kenny remarked. But while the team wants him back, they’re urging patience: “We’re not going to let him break it again while it’s still healing.”
But Josh, ever the rebel, isn’t having it. “No is not in my vocabulary,” he declared. “If I’ve got to crawl across the ground to get there, I will.”
BUTTERBEAN AND THE POWER OF POSITIVITY
Former pro fighter Eric “Butterbean” Esch, himself a survivor of life-altering injuries, connected Josh with renowned rehab coach Josh Bryant, initiating an intense physical therapy regimen to restore strength and function.
Using “power cuffs”, a new therapy tool that restricts blood flow during exercise to stimulate recovery, Josh began punching, lifting, and sweating through the pain. With Butterbean in his corner, cheering him on, the outlaw found a renewed fire.
“I was skeptical,” Josh admitted. “But you’ve got to earn it. You’ve got to make it happen.”
THE ROAD AHEAD: MOONSHINE, MUSCLE, AND MOTIVATION
With months of work still ahead, the road back to the woods will not be easy. But Owens’ grit, determination, and unbreakable bond with his moonshining family are giving fans and locals hope.
“I just want to be out in the woods again. I want to be making moonshine,” he said. “My legs are broke, but they’re going to work.”
Whether it’s pain, metal rods, or the whisper of that still boiling in the distance, Josh Owens is not done yet. And if his recovery continues on its current path, he’ll be back behind a copper still before the summer sun hits its peak.
IN THIS ISSUE:
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Backwoods Rehab: The science behind “power cuffs” and rural recovery
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Butterbean’s Redemption: From wheelchair to warrior
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Moonshine Revival: Are outlaw traditions seeing a resurgence in P County?
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Racing Wreck to Redemption: A timeline of Josh Owens’ injury and comeback
