Liam Woke Up in the Wreckage Covered in Blood and Called 911 Two of His Friends Didn't Make It

On May 1, Liam O'Donoghue was 16 years old and spending a Friday night with his three closest friends. They went to a driving range, grabbed food at Chick-fil-A, and were heading back to Liam's place around 9:40 p.m. when Andrew's car suddenly veered off the road and hit a tree.

Liam woke up in the crash. His body was half fine, half drenched in blood. He grabbed the first phone he saw, Andrew's phone, and called 911.

"I made the call and tried to save everyone," he told PEOPLE.

He couldn't. Ryan Duvall, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene. Andrew Sober, 16, his friend since third grade, died six days later from his injuries. Orion Kicklighter, 15, survived with non-life-threatening injuries. Liam survived. But he lost his left arm. He fractured both femurs.

Who These Friends Actually Were

Andrew and Liam had been friends since third grade. "He could light up a room," Liam remembers. "He was a great guy."

Andrew brought Ryan into the group after they met through martial arts. "Ryan was amazing," Liam says. "He was older, so he actually taught me a good bit about high school. I would play video games with him more than anyone. He was so kind and caring."

Orion moved into Liam's neighborhood in seventh grade. "Orion is like a brother to me. He only lives one street over from us, so we see him a bunch."

These weren't just friends. They were integrated into Liam's family. His mother, Fanya, said, "Ryan and Andrew were at our house a lot. We took pride in all the time that they'd be at our house and chose to be there."

The Moment Everything Changed

Liam's parents almost didn't let him go that night. He'd been in some trouble at school, and his mom didn't want him out. But his dad convinced her: just to the driving range, get food, come home early. An early Friday night.

That didn't happen.

When the boys didn't come back, Fanya started calling. No answer. She checked their location and saw it was at a firehouse. She knew something was wrong.

Liam's father went to find out what happened and learned their son had been airlifted to Baltimore's Shock Trauma Center.

What Liam Remembers

"I looked at myself, and it was the strangest thing I've ever felt," Liam told PEOPLE. "Half of my body was just completely fine, like I just woke up from a nap. Then the left side of my body was just drenched in blood."

He was conscious in the car. He heard them prying the door open to pull him out onto the grass. He remembers the stretcher, the ambulance.

After surgery, when he opened his eyes, the first thing he asked was: "Is everybody okay? Are they okay?"

A moment later, he realized his arm was gone. But it wasn't until his mom told him that Ryan hadn't made it that they both broke down.

The Recovery

Liam spent 10 days in the ICU, then was transferred to Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital for rehabilitation. He made progress that shocked his physical therapy team and his surgeons. Small steps. Walking up stairs. Resilience that didn't match what his body had been through.

While he was still in rehab, on May 13, he was allowed to watch his Calvert Hall rugby team win the championship game against Archbishop Spalding. He watched from a stretcher, having spent that morning watching Ryan's funeral service on FaceTime.

"I was so excited just to get out of the hospital," he said. "Seeing my guys pray for me, hug me, it was absolutely amazing."

NFL players sent him video messages. Derrick Henry. Lamar Jackson. Joe Flacco. His community showed up.

What He's Learned

Liam came home on May 29, nearly a month after the accident. He's learning what it means to live after losing his arm and his friends.

"Literally every morning you wake up, it could be your last," he said. "That's why it's so important to appreciate every moment you have with your loved ones, saying, 'I love you.' Not enough people say that. They must know it."

That's not something a 16-year-old is supposed to know. That's something you learn from surviving something you shouldn't have survived, and losing people you didn't expect to lose.

What His Family Is Carrying

Fanya talks about his resilience. About how shocked everyone is at how far he's come so quickly. About the community support that kept them from completely falling apart, people brought food, walked the dog, did laundry, and set up GoFundMe campaigns.

"The love and support have been unreal," Liam says. "It was insane to me how many people reached out and were like, 'Hey, I'm here for you if you need to talk' or wished me well."

But underneath that support is the reality: his friends are gone. He's learning to live with one arm. His parents watched their son almost die and watched him survive something he shouldn't have.

Liam O'Donoghue is 16 years old. He lost his left arm in a car accident. Two of his closest friends died. He woke up in the wreckage, covered in blood, and tried to save them.

He's learning to walk again. He's learning to live with the loss. He's learning that appreciating every moment with the people you love isn't just something people say, it's something he actually knows now.

Andrew and Ryan didn't get to learn that. Orion did, and he's recovering. Liam did, and he's rebuilding his life with one arm and the weight of surviving something he didn't think he would.

That's what happened. That's who he is now.