Chilliwack construction worker’s recovery a ‘miracle’, family says

The family of a construction worker injured at a residential building site in Chilliwack said his recovery is nothing short of a ‘miracle.’

Gerson Alvarado was injured on the job on March 11, when a concrete boom tipped over. A 24-year-old man, Sebastian Obando, was killed. Another man was also injured, though not seriously.

Alvarado’s common-law wife, Rosario Perez, said she was at work when she got the call that he’d been in an accident.

Alvarado was airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital, where he’s been recovering for the past three weeks.

“When you get told that somebody’s being airlifted, you automatically think the worst,” Perez said. “When I got to VGH, it was different. He was different. He had wires everywhere. He couldn’t talk to me anymore. He was completely sedated.”

The 27-year-old has undergone several tests and a 14-hour operation. Doctors have told her all of his injuries will heal, except his spine. Doctors say it’s unlikely he’ll ever walk again.

Still, family and friends say it’s a miracle he’s even alive and now breathing on his own, without the help of a machine.

He’s still in intensive care.

“He had a really hard time understanding why this happened to him because he’s such an amazing person, an amazing father an amazing partner to me,” said Perez.

The big challenge for the family now is to find accessible housing for Alvarado once he’s released from hospital. Friends of the family raising funds to help support them as they try to relocate. You can make a donation here.