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THE CZECH IS IN THE MAIL
Many of us have been given second chances during our lives.
Juan Tomelloso of Elgin is no different. The Elgin High School student almost didn’t make it to see 17.
On May 12, Tomelloso — then 16 years old — was working on an automobile when the lift holding up the vehicle gave out, pinning him underneath.
Members of the Bastrop- Travis County Emergency Services District 1 lifted the vehicle off of Tomelloso and began life-saving measures.
At the time of the accident, Tomelloso had a 2% to 8% chance of survival. A helicopter from PHI Air Medical Base 14 flew Tomelloso to Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, where he remained hospitalized for five days.
Tomelloso woke up in a lot of pain on May 14, the day he turned 17, but has since gradually regained his strength.
He returned home on May 17 and is now walking again.
Tomelloso and his family expressed their gratitude to first responders during a reunification ceremony May 26 at First Baptist Church in Elgin.
The Tomelloso family Tuesday honored members of the ESD, the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office, county dispatchers, Acadian Emergency Medical Services, PHI Air Med 14 and the Elgin Police Department.
What happened to Tomelloso was tragic. But the outcome was miraculous.
As ESD 1 Battalion Chief Eran Detzler said, “Every call doesn’t turn out like this.”
Other first responders at FBC-Elgin echoed the chief’s sentiment.
As a father, I cannot imagine what Tomelloso’s parents, Rafino and Yesenia, went through, nor what the teen experienced the moment the vehicle collapsed on him.
Juan Tomelloso is grateful to have beaten the odds. He thanked God for having his second chance.
Chlapek is the area editor of the Elgin Courier and Taylor Press. He can be reached at [email protected].
