 Wallis became comatose when he suffered a major automobile accident wherein his pickup truck skidded off a small bridge near Stone County, Arkansas, on July 13, 1984, which resulted in one of his friends being killed.The pickup truck was found upside down in a dry riverbed after Wallis smashed into a railing fence and fell 7.6 meters.He was found to be unresponsive and was immobilized but breathing.