Sitting up in a chair in his hospital room, drinking some fruit juice, 10-year-old Angel Dotel says he feels "good."
His father Miguel Dotel describes the boy as "lucky, very lucky."
Just two days ago, Miguel Dotel was climbing a mango tree in his West Park neighborhood when a branch broke, causing his son to fall on top of a fence with very sharp points. He fell from a height of about 18 feet from the tree, in the area of 44th Avenue and 18th Street.
A neighbor called 911.
“We need immediate emergency. There's a guy, a boy, who fell out of a tree right now and he fell on a fence with a sharp point and he's gushing out a lot of blood,” he said.
Two Good Samaritans put pressure on his wounds to control the bleeding until fire rescue arrived. He was rushed to Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood.
Angel, who has wounds on the left side of his face and body, has been in the pediatric intensive care unit there, but on Thursday he was being moved to a regular room. It’s expected he will be released from the hospital next week.
“He got really lucky as far as his injuries go, and we’ve been able to take the breathing tube out, you see,” Dr. Kristina Deeter said. “He’s talking, he’s eating, he’s going to heal very well.”
Angel told his dad he won't be climbing any more trees. The mango tree he fell from has been chopped down.
Photo Credit: NBC 6 South Florida