A Miami-Dade firefighter who fell several floors down an elevator while trying to rescue a trapped woman last month says he's recovering, but it has been a difficult and painful road.
David Gonzalez, an 18-year veteran with the department, was seriously injured when he fell during a Jan. 14 call to rescue someone trapped in a stuck elevator at Bal Harbour Shops. He suffered a collapsed lung and injuries to his legs, shoulder and vertebrae that have required multiple surgeries
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“I am doing OK. I deal with pain every day," Gonzalez, 50, told WFOR-TV from his room at the Encompass Health Rehabilitation Center of Miami. "I am trying to do what I can to make myself better. But it isn’t easy. I have extensive injuries that are everywhere. It is very painful, so I do the best that I can.”
It could be a while before Gonzalez, an Iraq war veteran, is able to leave the rehab center, where he has been since Feb. 24. He also is unsure if he will be able to continue as a firefighter.
“You know at a young age I joined the military," he told WFOR. "I was in the Iraq war and for me I have always been about community and country. That’s what I do. I put community and country ahead of myself a lot of the times. My wife and my family made me do that. It isn’t easy for the wives of firemen. They have a tough job. They respect their husbands and the jobs they have to do for our community."
Gonzalez said he's been overwhelmed with the support he's received from his department, as well as from firefighters from other departments. A barbecue fundraiser for Gonzalez is set for Saturday, and a GoFundMe campaign also has been ongoing.
"It’s emotional how the brother firefighters will try to help," Gonzalez told WFOR. "There is an unspoken bond, but when you see the actions like and how it affects you and your family, it is very emotional."
