WASHINGTON (WDVM) — The construction worker who was trapped inside a collapsed building on Thursday has a long road to recovery ahead of him.
The worker, 27-year-old Leonardo Mareto DaSilva, was pulled from the building on Kennedy Street NW after an hour and a half of being trapped beneath the rubble. District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services rescued him and sent him to a local area hospital.
Though his injuries were non-life-threatening, his sister, Leidiane Guimaraes, said he is paralyzed. She started a GoFundMe in his honor to help with costs associated with spinal surgery and his pending rehabilitation.
Guimaraes said his family is praising God that he is alive, and they are keeping hope alive that he will one day walk again.