FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Fourth of July celebration took a harrowing turn for one South Florida man after he suffered a severe injury from a diving accident that left him instantly paralyzed from the neck down.
The incident occurred at the Fort Lauderdale sandbar, where Daniel Eisenberg dove off a boat into shallow waters, resulting in a broken neck.
“I was headed to the water to meet up with some friends and to go out on a friend’s boat,” said Eisenberg. “It was shallow, but it wasn’t anything too shallow. It was probably three to four feet [deep]. I took another jump, and probably two to three hours after we got there, the water had completely gone out.”
The tide had completely changed the water’s depth at the sandbar.
“I instantly made impact,” said Eisenberg.
Emergency services swiftly responded to the scene and rushed Eisenberg to a local hospital unconscious and in critical condition. Doctors quickly proceeded with an intense emergency spinal cord surgery to address the grave injury.
Eisenberg’s fiancée, Patricia Stochel-Polubiec, was in Daytona Beach at the time. She said she knew something was wrong when he stopped responding to her texts.
“I had a gut feeling like, you know, woman’s intuition, the whole night. It was really weird,” she said.
Eisenberg is now gearing up to embark on therapy.
“I can’t walk. I can’t use the restroom on my own. I can barely feed myself,” he said.
The path to recovery, however, is anticipated to be both arduous and demanding. Rehab will demand an extended period of dedication and perseverance.
Daniel’s family, friends and well-wishers are rallying around him during this trying time, offering him the love and support crucial for his journey toward regaining a semblance of normalcy.
“I know it’s going to be very challenging to regain full mobility, but they [doctors] do say that it is possible with a lot of hard work,” said Eisenberg.
For now, Eisenberg’s unwavering resolve to confront the hurdles of rehabilitation stands as an inspiring example of human strength in the face of adversity.
“Life is still good. I am blessed to be here, but it’s definitely a lot more challenging,” he said. “It’s really shaped and changed my perspective.
Eisenberg hopes his story will help prevent another tragedy.
“If someone could learn from my story, or someone else’s story that’s happened, that’s all that I can actually hope for,” he said.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help Daniel with hospital bills. If you would like to help, click here.
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