(WSVN) - A trooper injured in the line of duty is making a miraculous recovery. 7’s Rosh Lowe has his inspiring story in tonight’s The Lowedown.
Every step is progress for Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Carlos Rosario.
FHP Trooper Carlos Rosario: “It’s a long road. I broke the tibia on the right side and the left side.”
The bones were crushed in his legs, his arms, his spine and his face.
His wife Ana didn’t know if he was going to make it.
Ana Rosario: “I’m just happy that he’s here, he’s with my boys. I get to hold his hand.”
Carlos almost died on the side of the Dolphin Expressway back in March. He was standing on the shoulder, holding a radar gun to catch speeders, when police say Hugo Oliveras ran over him. They say he was texting and driving at the time.
FHP Trooper Carlos Rosario: “For the glory of God, one of the troopers happened to be an Army ranger. He had ideas on how to stop the bleeding. He used a raincoat.”
Oliveras stayed at the accident scene and would later be arrested.
FHP Trooper Carlos Rosario: “Because of what we believe in: You can’t hold anger towards nobody.”
Ana Rosario: “He’s a fighter. Every time he wakes up in the morning. he says, ‘I have to do this. I have to do this for my boys.'”
Since May, Carlos has been staying at the Health South Rehabilitation Center. Video of Carlos shows the trooper taking his first steps.
There is one thing to hear about Trooper Rosario’s rehabilitation. There is another thing to see it. To see the work he puts into this every single day, three and a half hours a day, step by step.
FHP Trooper Carlos Rosario (to Ana): “Thank God I have you by my side. You give me strength and courage.”
Carlos had the will to live — for his children and Ana, his childhood sweetheart.
Ana Rosario: “He was 13 and I was 15.”
And on that March night, Ana started to think about the what ifs.
Ana Rosario: “I didn’t know what I was going to do. You have so much emotions. I started thinking about my boys.”
But Carlos battled.
Sergio Leon: “For him to not only survive that, but to come out of it and be an independent person, it’s an amazing story.”
And something else amazing for Carlos: watching his 18-year old son Joshua commit to play for a college basketball team.
FHP Trooper Carlos Rosario: “Oh, wow, his dream’s coming true.”
Carlos still has a long road ahead of him, but his recovery and determination shows the power of faith, the power of love and the power of family.
FHP Trooper Carlos Rosario (to Ana): “Thank you. I love you.”
Carlos and his family still need help in their long journey. A GoFundMe page has been set up.
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