Jackson International

Miami, September 29, 2008 – After nearly 60 days hospitalized and thanks to the advanced medical care he received at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Juan Artero is ready to go home. Artero was the pilot and is one of the survivors of the plane accident that occurred May 30th, at the Tocotin airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where five people died and 81 were injured.

“I was really hurt when they took me out of the plane. I lost more than 8 liters of blood because I was trapped in between the crushed metal of the cabin and I had to wait a long time for the rescue team to break the window and tear the plane apart,” Artero said.

Dr. Seth Williams, who operated on Artero more than ten times, said he had multiple broken bones, including a broken back, which could have left him paralyzed.

“Juan’s injuries were severe and he almost lost his right leg. But with multiple surgeries we were able to save the leg and now he has started walking,” he said. Juan is a strong person and a fast healer and all his broken bones are healing, including his spine fractures.”

Dr. Williams also said it was important for Artero’s survival and recovery that he be taken to a level-1 trauma center. Jackson, as the southernmost level-1 trauma and burn center in the United States, was ideal. For that reason and for its world-renowned doctors, Jackson has become the preferred destination for trauma cases in the Caribbean Basin.

Artero said he is thankful to the medical team at Jackson who he said make tremendous effort to improve patients’ conditions.

“The plastic surgery has helped me a lot but more so, the personalized care that I received all this time from the nurses and doctors at Jackson,” he said.

Artero is now planning his return home to El Salvador where he will continue treatment until he completely re-adapts to his everyday life.