Family Of Man Who Had Leg Amputated In Construction Accident Shares His Recovery
FRISCO (CBSDFW.COM) - It was a lifesaving surgery Thursday in the middle of an open field in Frisco after a construction worker became tangled in a digging machine. His family is sharing a bit of good news Sunday after he had to have his leg amputated.
Relatives say Francisco Palma was putting cables in the ground when he nearly lost his life. Rescuers worked to free him after his leg got wrapped in the blades of a trenching machine.
Palma is in the Intensive Care Unit and recovering after a surgeon amputated his right leg in order to save his life.
A Plano hospital surgeon was flown in to operate. Francisco's life was saved thanks to a new field amputation program at the Frisco Fire Department.
Relatives have been at his side ever since.
"He woke up yesterday, and he got really scared because he doesn't know what's going on, and he can't talk because he has a breathing tube in. So he's not going to be able to talk for a while, but he has opened his eyes," said relative Estela Martinez.
Palma's wife, Sara Acosta, has been by his side at the hospital since he arrived.
Martinez translated for Acosta: "She feels really sad, but at the same time, really happy that he's alive. She wants a lot of prayers for him to heal fast and to be at home with her."
"It's going to be a really long journey for them to be able to accept the fact that he won't be able to walk anymore. We just have to be there for them and give them a lot of support. That's what they're going to need the most," said Martinez.
There are more surgeries in Palma's future. Rescuers say the field amputation was similar to and based on what the military does for injured soldiers.