Madison Cawthorn was involved in a life-changing car accident at the age of 18 and has required the use of a wheelchair ever since.

But it has in no way hindered his ability to climb the political ladder.In fact he has claimed that the wheelchair itself became a source of inspiration to him.

"My accident gave me new eyes to see, and new ears to hear,” he said during a speech at the Republican National Convention.

The then-25-year-old gave the speech after being elected into Congress as the youngest member since Jed Johnson Jr in the 1990s.

The North Carolina Representative has emerged as one of former President Donald Trump’s strongest and most ardent defenders in the United States Congress.

The accident occurred near Daytona Beach when his friend Bradley Ledford fell asleep behind the wheel of a BMQ X3 SUV.

Cawthorn was in the passenger seat with his feet on the dashboard when the SUV crashed into a concrete barrier.

In a 2017 speech, Cawthorn said that Ledford left him "to die in a fiery tomb," but, Ledford publicly disputed this in 2021 saying that he did pull Cawthorn from the wreck.