A Florida surfer is on life support after crashing into a pier in Daytona Beach, Florida, on September 13.
Jorge Alvarado, 49, was surfing on the south side of Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach at 9 a.m. when the accident occurred.
Alvarado may have hit a sandbar and then become entangled in a piling beneath the pier, Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue Director Tamra Malphurs said.
A witness said he saw Alvarado fall headfirst into the piling before sinking.
It took the surfers several minutes to free Alvarado, allowing rescuers to perform life-saving measures before he was taken to the hospital.
Jorge Alvarado, 49, struck a sandbar and then became entangled in a piling beneath the pier on Sept. 13. PICTURED: Jorge Alvarado surfing with his son Gabriel
A witness said he saw Alvarado fall headfirst into the piling before sinking. It took several minutes for the surfers to free Alvarado, allowing rescuers to perform life-saving measures before he was taken to the hospital.
Malphurs said The Daytona Beach News JournalIt is possible that it was a current that pushed him onto the dock after hitting his head.
The late surfer’s daughter, Emily Alvarado, asked for “prayers for my dad” on Facebook.
Emily did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com.
His friend Justin Gore set up a GoFundMe campaign that raised $11,675 to “take care of him and his family during this difficult time.”
Gore also posted an emotional thank you video on his Facebook once the campaign hit the $10,000 mark. He said, “It’s going to be a long road to recovery.”
‘You have to keep fighting, brother.’
There has been only one death in the Daytona Beach surf zone this year due to a rip current, according to National Weather Service.
His friend Justin Gore set up a GoFundMe campaign that raised $11,675. He also posted an emotional thank you video on his Facebook once the campaign hit the $10,000 mark: “It’s going to be a long road to recovery.”
Maphurs said beach security rarely sees experienced surfers in accidents, other than a shark bite. She also said surfers are not supposed to be 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 security rarely sees experienced surfers in accidents, other than a shark bite. She also said surfers should not be within 150 feet of the pier, but she was not sure how close Alvarado was.
The incident comes just two months after a Pennsylvania couple vacationing in Florida got 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 the tragedy occurred.
Two of the teenagers were also 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.