FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Yevhenii “Eugene” Arsirii has been hospitalized for about 11 days. He was helping someone in need on Aug. 11 when a hit-and-run driver struck him in Fort Lauderdale.
Arsirii, 31, lost his leg and he is at risk of losing another. He has undergone several surgeries and procedures, and he said he feels grateful to have survived.
Arsirii, a Ukrainian American, had recently moved from Orlando to South Florida for a new job. Even at the hospital, he said nothing is going to stop him from continuing to help others.
“Of course, in the moment, there is regret but, if you see somebody needing help, and you know you can do something, you do it,” Arsirii said. He later added, “Just be kind to one another.”
Hours before the hit-and-run crash, Arsirri went to the gym and completed his workout. He was on his way home just, before midnight, when he saw someone pushing a truck on their own along Northwest Sixth Street after running out of gas.
Arsirri said he parked his car along Sixth Street and started pushing the truck too. A driver struck them. Arsirri was pinned between both vehicles until the driver drove away. Broward Health surgeons were forced to amputate his right leg.
Arsirri said the hit-and-run driver was a woman. Relatives suspect she was driving without insurance. Asirri said he believes in the justice system in the U.S. and has faith that he will be able to go back to work.
“The main thing I have to focus [on] is me, right now,” Arsirri said. “God will do his job.”
Detectives are searching for the woman. Doctors are working to stabilize his left leg to prevent a second amputation. His family set up a fundraiser on GoFundMe to benefit Arsirri and it can be found by clicking here.