ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – July 15 is a day Christine and Damon Gerhardt will never forget.
“We had been in Old Town on a date, and we were just headed home, and we looked it up on Yelp, said it was open still and had great reviews, so we wanted to try it out.”
What started as a date night for the married couple, quickly turned into a nightmare after stopping at the Taco Bus food truck on Central near 47th.
“I remember hearing very loud cars. It sounded like they were revving up, and then they got closer and closer,” Damon said.
Little did they know, while browsing the menu that night, their lives would be changed forever.
“As the sound got louder and louder, it just didn’t sound right. There was something strange to the sound, and then next thing I know, I’m laying face up with a gentleman’s hand over my head, telling me not to move, that help’s on the way, and that everything’s going to be okay,” he recalled.
Christine, Damon, and two other bystanders were hit by one of those cars racing down Central. Police said 18-year-old Abraham Corral Alvarez was driving drunk when he hit them.
The Gerhardts were both rushed to the hospital, Christine was released the next day with a broken rib, lacerations, and road rash. However, Damon was much worse.
“I was diagnosed with nine broken ribs on my right side, three fractures in the pelvis, and then a fracture in my jaw which I am still wired shut for that.”
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He also suffered a leg infection, and a blood clot developed in his lungs.
Damon spent three weeks in the hospital and then went to rehab. He returned home a little more than a week ago.
“Next week, I can start walking, learning how to walk again, so I am excited to be weight-barring on both legs,” he said.
While they are counting the injuries they suffered, they are also counting their blessings.
“Thank you so much, like, I just can’t even express my thanks and gratitude for everybody who has been a part of this process from the moment it happened through health care, just everything, everyone,” Christine said.
A GoFundMe has been created for the family, click HERE.
