AVENTURA, Fla. – Last year, Carlos Hunter was driving home with his 11-year-old son and a tragedy changed his life. Hunter could have fallen into isolation, he could have given up, but he refused to do either.
Carlos Berreras said he will never forget Hunter. The paramedic was among the first responders who found Hunter bleeding along Hallandale Beach.
“One of the worst ones I have had,” Berreras said on Friday in Aventura.
It was the second time they met. Later through tears, Berreras told Hunter that he was an inspiration.
On June 12, 2022, the driver of a Jeep was stranded on the side of the road, and Hunter decided to stop with his son to help him. There was no way they could have known that a drunk driver would crash into them.
Two died and two survived. Hunter, now a wheelchair user, lost his legs, and his son, Carlos Jr. The driver of the stranded Jeep also died.
On Friday, Dr. Jon Yoon still remembered when Hunter arrived at HCA Florida Aventura Hospital after the crash.
“When he came in, he had a tourniquet and his leg in a bag,” Yoon said.
Hunter’s road to recovery has been long and difficult. On Friday, he had the opportunity to thank Barreras, Yoon, and the other first responders and physicians who tried to save his son’s life and who saved his.
“I’m here,” Hunter said at the Aventura hospital. “I just want to be an inspiration to everyone across the world.”
Detectives arrested the man who stands accused of being the DUI driver who caused the tragedy. His case is still pending in court.
Afternoon report