GLENN: I have been telling you now for two years the story about Jake and Vanessa Keeslar. Jake was a -- is a veteran who lost both of his legs, and I brought you this story two years ago when he just started to walk. A year ago I said, is there somebody that can help this guy ride a bike again. Last night I brought you this story two years in the making but I didn't have a chance to talk to Bill Hattan, the guy who built him a custom-made bike, and Bill is on the phone with us now. Hi, Bill.
HATTAN: Hi, Glenn, it is a pleasure to talk to you again.
GLENN: You know, I have to tell you I've followed this story the whole time. Obviously we've been doing it now for two years and all of your efforts and I just think what you have done is absolutely amazing.
GLENN: Oh, thanks. Thanks, Glenn. You know, I really hope someday that I can meet you in person. I truly would like that and you're such an inspiration and I like how you tell is how it is.
GLENN: Thank you. I tell you we did everything we could to rearrange my schedule because I wanted to see Jake take the bike and ride it with you but the video was the next best thing. To be able to see that. And to see you guys take the ride. And you -- what's amazing to me is you're a guy who relates 100%. You lost your legs, and the only thing we had time to talk about on television was that it was in a construction accident. Could you just tell a little bit of that story, how you lost your legs?
HATTAN: Yeah, absolutely, Glenn. I was in work zone safety and that -- orange is still my favorite color, by the way. But I developed an intelligent transportation system to help traffic in work zones and we were setting up a test project for MDOT. I was a private contractor. But we were setting it up for MDOT for 94 and Joy Road in Detroit and we were there all day long. It was 6:00. I was supposed to go to a lug nuts baseball game with my family and I called my wife at that time and said, you know, I'm not going to make it; we're having a little bit of trouble with one of the trailers sending information to the master trailer and I said, but I should be out within 10 minutes. And we went down to one of the units that we had a little bit of concern on and my coworker Tania, we flipped a coin to see who was going to get out to calibrate the trailer, to check the trailer out and I lost the coin flip. And she said, Bill, you know, your voice mail's been ringing all day, why don't you try voice mail and then come back and meet up with me, and I said great. So I checked my voice mail and got out of my truck and next thing I heard was a big smack. And 45 days later after I woke up from a coma, I had learned that my coworker was killed instantly in the crash and it threw me for a tailspin, you know. As you know, I lost both of my legs, I went through 30 minutes of blood in the ER room, I had internal injuries, a broken pelvis in 15 places. I was on a fixator for eight weeks.
GLENN: I have to tell you, Bill, what you've done just with your life and just getting your life back and saying nothing's going to stop me is phenomenal and then, so you opened up Cool City Customs and you have how many people working for you?
HATTAN: I have seven guys.
GLENN: And you build some of the most beautiful bikes I have ever seen. And when Jake came to you, this was his design of a bike? This is what he had in mind?
HATTAN: Well, actually I took a lot of notes from Jake and knowing the concerns that he would have with being, you know, without two legs was definitely a challenge, but I met with Jake -- or I talked with Jake and got every desire that he wanted on a bike such as he wanted a knuckle head engine, he wanted an old school look, he wanted a soft tail design.
GLENN: I have to tell you just incredible work. We're going to include -- let's include the package, Dan, if you will, let's include the video in the newsletter and also a link to Bill's shop, CoolCityCustoms.com and that way you can see the other bikes that he and his crew make. Just a great job, Bill.
HATTAN: Oh, thanks, Glenn.
GLENN: Thanks for being a great guy, man.
HATTAN: You know what, like I said, I really would like to meet you someday and sit down and really have a good heart-to-heart talk.
GLENN: Next time you are in New York City or I make it out your way, we'll do that.
HATTAN: Oh, you promise?
GLENN: I promise.
HATTAN: All right, dude. I look forward to it.
GLENN: Thanks, man, appreciate it.
HATTAN: All right. Take care, Glenn. Bye-bye.