Jonathan Cruz recounted the harrowing Father's Day he had back in 2018 when a boat propeller ripped through his flesh and bone, nearly killing him.
The 29-year-old dad of two was trying to help another boater off Elliot Key on June 17, 2019, when someone turned the propeller on, slicing him between his leg and back.
"I remember seeing a light of peace and I knew I was going," Cruz recalled.
Miraculously, Miami-Dade paramedic TJ Dolan was also out boating that day. He came to Cruz's rescue after hearing a loud scream.
"I saw him floating in the water with a lot of blood around him," Dolan said.
Dolan called dispatch for air rescue and also got fire rescue in route. Then he fought to keep Cruz alive.
"We took a bunch of dry beach towels and packed it as tight as we could to stop the bleeding as much as possible, and I started an IV because he was in extreme shock," he said.
Jackson’s Ryder Trauma Center surgeon Dr. Joyce Kaufman said it was apparent Cruz suffered devastating injuries to his bone and soft tissue.
Doctors said without Dolan's work, Cruz probably wouldn't have survived such severe injuries to his leg, butt and pelvis that left him comatose for 14 days.
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Today, Cruz said he feels grateful to able to stand and reunite with the team of medical professionals who repaired his mangled leg and wouldn't let him die.
"I did think I was going to lose my leg, but I left it in God's hands and the doctor's hands, and I was blessed to be here," he said.
