A Florida surfer is on life support after crashing into a pier in Daytona Beach, Florida, on September 13.
Jorge Alvarado, 49, was surfing at 9 a.m. on the south side of the Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach when the accident happened.
Alvarado may have hit a sandbar and become tangled in a piling under the pier, said Tamra Malphurs, director of Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue.
A witness said he saw Alvarado hit his head on the post and then go under it.
It took several minutes for surfers to free Alvarado, after which rescuers were able to save him before he was taken to hospital.
Jorge Alvarado, 49, hit a sandbar on Sept. 13 and then became entangled in a pole under the pier. PICTURED: Jorge Alvarado surfing with his son Gabriel
A witness said they saw Alvarado go head first into the pole before going under. It took surfers several minutes to free Alvarado, allowing rescuers to perform life-saving measures before he was taken to hospital.
Malphurs told The Daytona Beach News-Journal that it is possible that a current pushed him against the pier after he hit his head.
Emily Alvarado, the daughter of the deceased surfer, asked on Facebook for “prayers for my dad.”
Emily did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com.
His friend Justin Gore started a GoFundMe campaign raising $11,675 to “take care of him and his family during this difficult time.”
Gore also posted a heartfelt thank you video on his Facebook when the campaign reached the $10,000 mark, saying, “It’s going to be a long road to recovery.”
“You’ve got this brother, keep fighting.”
Authorities say there has been only one death this year from a rip current in the Daytona Beach surf zone. National Weather Service.
His friend Justin Gore set up a GoFundMe campaign that raised $11,675. He also posted a heartfelt thank you video on his Facebook when the campaign reached $10,000, saying, “It’s going to be a long road to recovery.”
Maphurs said beach safety rarely involves accidents for seasoned surfers, except when it involves a shark bite. She also said surfers are not allowed to come within 150 feet of the pier, but she wasn’t sure how close Alvarado was PICTURED: Jorge Alvarado (center), Dylan Alvarado (right) and Emily Alvarado (right)
Maphurs said beach safety rarely involves accidents for seasoned surfers, except for shark bites. She also said surfers are not allowed within 150 feet of the pier, but she wasn’t sure how close Alvarado was.
The incident came just two months after a Pennsylvania couple vacationing in Florida were caught in a rip current and drowned in front of their six children.
Brian Warter, 51, and his girlfriend Erica Wishart, 48, were on the beach behind the Marriott Hotel on Hutchinson Island, north of West Palm Beach, on July 18 when tragedy struck.
Two of the teenagers also got caught in the current, but managed to reach shore.
They tried to help their parents, but could not reach them because the current had become too dangerous.