As someone else said, the book suggested that it was the childhood accident that sort of kicked it all off but that his ability was pretty much dormant except for the occassional hunch that would turn out to be correct, etc.
This leads to two things in the book. One is that he managed to survive the coma because of the childhood injury. Something about how a previously (slightly) damaged brain can handle a coma better than a brain that has never been damaged. The second thing is that the accident / coma brought his abilities out further.
The book also mentions that he has a brain tumor and needs surgery if he is to survive. He finds this out towards the end of the book. There is the slightest suggestion that he is "crazy" from the tumor by "the media" in the book but his doctor refutes that. Although never mentioned I can't help but wonder if the "power" eventually caused the tumor but King doesn't speculate on that at all. However, the film does seem to suggest that he is getting sicker as time goes on with a slight implication that it could be due to his powers.
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