You probably know Adam Devine as the guy with the loud, high-energy personality from Workaholics or the cocky Bumper from Pitch Perfect. He’s the guy who does physical comedy so well it looks effortless. But honestly, most people don’t realize that his entire career—and his life—almost didn't happen.
When he was just 11 years old, a massive 42-ton cement truck basically ran him over. It wasn’t just a "fender bender" or a little tumble off his bike. It was a catastrophic, near-fatal event that left him in a coma and required over 25 surgeries. For a long time, doctors weren't even sure if he’d keep his legs, let alone walk onto a Hollywood set.
The Day of the Adam Devine Accident
It happened in June 1995 back in Omaha, Nebraska. Adam and a friend were headed to a convenience store to grab some candy—standard kid stuff. He was on his bicycle, waiting to cross a busy road. He watched three cement trucks pass by. His friend, already on the other side, yelled "Come on!"
Adam took that as "the coast is clear."
It wasn't.
A fourth cement truck was coming from the opposite direction. It slammed into him, pulling him under the front two wheels. The truck didn't just hit him; it dragged him 500 feet. The only reason he didn't die right there on the pavement was his bike. The metal frame of the bicycle took the initial brunt of the 42-ton impact, acting like a shield for his internal organs.
Still, the damage was horrific. He suffered:
- Two crushed legs (every bone below the knee was broken)
- A collapsed lung
- Multiple broken ribs
- Acute shock and massive skin loss
He was unconscious immediately. When he finally woke up from a medically induced coma two weeks later, he found his father—a "tough guy" who Adam had never seen cry—shaking and sobbing at his bedside. That’s when the reality hit him. He wasn't just hurt; he was broken.
26 Surgeries and a Wheelchair
The years following the Adam Devine accident were a blur of hospitals and physical therapy. From the sixth grade through the start of high school, he underwent 26 different surgeries. Doctors seriously considered amputating both of his legs because the risk of infection and multiple organ failure was so high.
He spent years in a wheelchair. Imagine being a middle schooler, already a target for bullies, and suddenly you’re the "crippled kid." Adam has talked about this a lot in interviews, like on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast. He couldn't fight back physically, so he did what any future comedian would do: he used his mouth.
His dad told him he had to "punch them back with his words." Adam started keeping notebooks filled with retorts and "slams" for the kids who teased him. It was a defense mechanism that turned into a professional craft. While other kids were playing baseball (which was his original dream), Adam was calling into local radio stations like The Edge in Omaha, doing celebrity impressions just to pass the time and make people laugh.
The Recent "Deadly" Health Scare
For decades, it seemed like the story was over. Adam regained full mobility, moved to LA, and became a star. But in 2024 and 2025, the lingering effects of the 1995 accident came back with a vengeance.
During an emotional 2025 interview with Graham Bensinger, Adam revealed that the last three years have been a "nightmare." He started having uncontrollable muscle spasms all over his body. The pain was so intense he couldn't sit, stand, or walk for more than a few minutes.
At one point, a doctor told him he had Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS)—the same rare neurological disorder Celine Dion has. They told him he might only have six years to live. This happened just one month before his son, Beau, was born.
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"They told me I was dying, literally... my muscles would get so tight that my heart would stop beating." — Adam Devine, In Depth with Graham Bensinger (2025).
Fortunately, after seeing the specialist who actually coined the term "Stiff Person Syndrome," it was determined he didn't have the disease. Instead, his body was finally "snapping" from the decades of trauma and the intense physical strain of his career and pandemic-era CrossFit workouts. His muscles were so tightly wound from the old scarring and surgeries that they simply stopped functioning correctly.
Recovery and Actionable Insights
So, where is he now? Adam recently underwent stem cell treatments that he says have made him feel the best he’s felt in years. He’s still working, currently starring in The Righteous Gemstones, but he's had to change how he views his body. He’s realized he can’t be the "action star" who does all his own stunts anymore. He has to be the "comedy guy" who lets the stunt doubles take the hits.
There’s a massive lesson in this story for anyone dealing with old injuries or chronic pain.
- Trauma has a long tail. You might "recover" in your teens, but your body remembers the impact when you hit your 40s. Don't ignore new spasms or pains just because you think you're "healed."
- Get a second (or third) opinion. Adam was told he was dying. He wasn't. Medical diagnoses for complex neurological issues are notoriously tricky.
- Adapt your lifestyle. Adam's attempt to go "hard" in the gym during the pandemic actually triggered his body's collapse. Sometimes, "pushing through the pain" is the worst thing you can do.
- Humor as a tool. It sounds cliché, but the way he used comedy to deflect bullying during his wheelchair years is a textbook example of using "radical acceptance" to survive trauma.
The Adam Devine accident isn't just a piece of celebrity trivia. It’s the reason he is who he is. Every time you see him jumping around on screen, remember that there are two legs under there that, by all medical accounts, shouldn't even be there.
If you’re struggling with the long-term effects of a physical injury, the best thing you can do right now is seek out a specialist who focuses on "trauma-informed physical therapy." General practitioners are great, but for injuries involving massive scarring and old surgeries, you need someone who understands how fascia and nerve endings behave decades after the initial hit. Don't wait until you're having full-body spasms to take your recovery seriously.