The son of the doctor who was ‘swallowed’ by a crater on the sidewalk in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, in the south of Espírito Santo, this Monday (1st), said that when he received and saw the images of the accident, he thought that Euripedes was dead. Alberto Soeiro, who is also an orthopedic doctor like his father, commented that his father’s survival with few sequelae was a “living miracle”.
Euripedes Fernando Melo, 84 years old, was walking on the sidewalk when, suddenly, the floor gave way and he fell into a hole about 2 meters wide. Part of the wall also fell and went towards the victim. People passing by ran to help and participated in the rescue of the doctor.
“I thought the person was dead. That was my first reaction. So much so that I hadn’t even seen the images yet. After I saw the images and realized it was my father, he was supposed to be dead, I was supposed to be burying my father now”, reported the son.
Alberto was caring for a patient when he received the news that his father had suffered an accident.
“A laboratory representative came running here and told me that my father had suffered an accident nearby. I finished the treatment quickly and went down. When I got down, he had already been removed from the hole and was receiving first care inside the ambulance”, said Alberto.
The son pointed out that the speed throughout his father’s rescue was essential for his recovery.
” The first care there in the ambulance is extremely important. We know that the first care is what defines how the history of the evolution of the trauma will be. The care there in the ambulance was perfect, immobilization of the fractured limb, evaluation to see if there was a fracture of basin. All done with the ambulance parked there. It’s not putting the patient in and running away. Even close to the hospital, they provided all the care right there”, he explained.
Even with the impressive image of the fall, Euripides only had a fracture in his femur. The doctor underwent surgery and was in the ICU. He was taken to the room this Tuesday (2).
The orthopedist, however, still does not have a specific date for his discharge, but his son is optimistic and believes he should go home this week.
“He had an open fracture of the femur and that’s it! There was no injury to the chest, abdomen or other parts of the body. He wasn’t even crushed, because in an accident like this the crushing of soft parts often leads to death. A living miracle”, pointed out the son.
Crater opens into sidewalk and man passing by is swallowed by the hole
Alberto commented that one of the first things his father said at the hospital was asking him to thank the people who helped him get out of the hole.
“He talked to me last night and asked to find out the names of the people who pulled him out of that hole. I was like, ‘Dad, are you worried about this?’ He said he was there and that he wants to thank the people who got him out of that hole”, said his son.
Euripides told his son that, after falling into the hole, he also saw the wall falling towards him and that it stopped just a few centimeters from his chest.
After you are discharged, it may take your doctor a few months to fully recover.
“The fracture has already been stabilized, a rod was placed, but there is a soft tissue injury. It will take him a few months to return to work. But the miracle was from the beginning to all of his care. A miracle that started with the hole and the entire stream of care he received”, reported Alberto.
The son said he was surprised by the number of messages he received from people all over Brazil who saw the impressive image of his father falling into the hole and called to see if Euripides was okay.
Videos show rescue of doctor who was ‘swallowed’ by sidewalk crater
Videos taken by passing pedestrians show the rescue of the doctor “swallowed” by a hole that opened in the sidewalk in Cachoeiro, this Monday (1st). At least five people participated in the rescue until a medical team arrived.
According to the Espírito Santo Regional Engineering and Agronomy Council (Crea-ES), the problem on the sidewalk may have been caused by the roots of a tree.
At another point in the images, a group tries to get a rope to try to get him out of the hole. It is possible to see the victim lying down with three people around him. Euripides has his arms behind his head.
Afterwards, a medical aid team arrives with a stretcher and manages to remove him. Euripides is taken into an ambulance, and people applaud.
After the accident, the City of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim sent teams to the location and the water concessionaire BRK was also called, but analyzed that what happened was not related to the sewage water networks operated by the concessionaire.
A study carried out by the municipality four years ago showed that six other points in the city are at risk due to the old network.
The Espírito Santo Regional Engineering and Agronomy Council (Crea-ES) pointed out that a rupture was identified in the drainage network in the region, probably caused by tree roots in the area.
“In this section, specifically, there is a mixed drainage network, which receives both water and sewage. Next to it there is a tree with roots reaching not only the wall, but this network. We believe that there was a leak there. This water began to remove the layer of soil and other elements there from the base and close to the pavement, which caused the sinking of the sidewalk, the sidewalk and consequently the collapse of the wall”, explained Erivelto Diogo da Silva, Crea engineer.
The city hall also reported that this Tuesday it is already carrying out repairs to the sidewalk that gave way and also to the drainage network, in addition to mapping the network along the entire avenue where the accident occurred.
A study carried out by the municipality four years ago identified 6 other points in the city at risk due to the old network.
