EXCLUSIVE: Fresno man continues to recover after major crash

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- As the time kept on ticking, Amelia Vazquez knew something wasn't right.

She went looking for her husband, Saul and saw all the traffic from the crash and had a gut-wrenching feeling.

That's when she started calling the hospital to find her husband.

"They put his birthday in and said there's a John Doe here who's not identified yet," Amelia said. "You can come and find out if it's him."

Amelia rushed to the hospital, where she found Saul.

He was severely injured and in pain. His consciousness was fading in and out.

"It was scary -- they didn't know yet how he was doing," Amelia said. "He had a breathing tube, blood in his lungs, multiple cuts. They were trying to stabalize him."

On Saturday afternoon, Saul sat down with Action News.

Sitting in his recliner chair, with his left arm in a cast, he describes the moments leading up to the crash.

"I looked to the rear mirror, I saw some traffic coming up behind me and it didn't worry me," Saul said. "I turned looking to my sides again, and then I happened to look at the rear mirror again and realized this truck was coming behind me."

Saul felt the adrenaline pulsing through his body.

"I think I threw myself to the right side," he said. "I think I was trying to hide in between the space of the dash and the seats."

Saul spends a lot his recovery in his recliner.

While Saul can walk around the house, being outside is difficult.

Everyday tasks, like eating and bathing, is also hard.

"Trying to relax in any position is painful because he has multiple fractures all over his body," Amelia said. "There's 11 broken bones total."

Amelia says they will be checking in on Saul's recovery progress in about nine months.

With a long journey ahead, there's also financial uncertainty.

"We're not 100% sure how much we have to give out of pocket yet because there's going to be co-pays," Amelia said. "We just haven't gotten the bills yet."

The family doesn't know when Saul will go back to work.

Family members have set up a GoFundMe to help them.

The family is grateful for the support they've received from relatives and friends.

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