Conversation so far:
What happened in 1988?
When Stephen Carpenter was 15 years old, he was hit by a car while skateboarding.
was he seriously injured?
Confined to a wheelchair for several months.
when was he rehabilitated?
he began teaching himself guitar by playing along to bands such as Anthrax, Stormtroopers of Death and Metallica.
was he in the wheelchair at this time?
The driver supposedly paid Carpenter a cash settlement that allowed the band to purchase equipment.
what was their first recordings?
They were signed to the label after performing three of their songs for Freddy DeMann and Guy Oseary.

Question: were they successful?
Self-contained rewrite: was the Deftones successful?