LAUDERHILL, Fla. – A man who was nearly killed by an explosion at a scrapyard in Lauderhill is thanking God and first responders that he is alive.
Ten days ago, Don Juan Coley said the moments leading up to the explosion at Resource Scrap Metal are blurry.
He was unloading a truck when an oxygen tank blew up.
Coley lost his arm and leg on his left side and had major burns on his right arm, leg and his face.
“I got five kids who need me here, so I praise God,” Coley told Local 10 News from his hospital bed at Broward Health.
“This is what I fought for when I was on the ground bleeding,” he said. “I remember it happening and EMT and fire rescue. I praise God for those guys every day for being there and being able to save my life because I could have died.”
Coley said he was aware of “everything” when he was airlifted, but first responders had to resuscitate him when his heart stopped on the flight to the hospital.
Coley spent the next two days in a coma and now 10 days and four surgeries later, he’s on the mend.
“I have a lot to live for. I have a lot that I’ve put in. I have a lot more to get out of life,” he said. “God is so good to me.”
He said he had been doing the same type of work for 20 years. “I made money, paid my child support, paid my rent, paid my car insurance. Just a hard-working normal guy.”
Coley expects to walk again and drive again “one day. And I’ll be able to take care of my family,” he said.
His family has set up a GoFundMe to raise money for his medical bills and help provide for his children.