The ex-U.S. Olympian who was paralyzed in a freak training accident says he's GETTING BETTER ... and in an emotional new video, says he's lucky to be alive.
As we previously reported, 2-time Olympic high-jumper Jamie Nieto fell on his head while training Olympic hopefuls this past weekend ... and suffered major damage to his back.
Nieto has now made a brand new video from his hospital bed -- thanking everyone for supporting him ... including Olympic star Lolo Jones who launched a fundraising campaign to pay for his medical bills.
In the emotional video, Nieto says doctors believe he has a "high chance of getting better" -- which is amazing considering he almost died following the accident.