The condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, has impacted swaths of families. But despite the many tragic stories that have arisen from the traumatic incident, there is one that has inspired hope thanks to one mom.
Angela Gonzalez and her 16-year-old daughter, Deven, were inside their Champlain Towers condo on June 24 when the building suddenly crashed to the ground.
And despite falling five stories down, the pair both escaped and with serious, non-life-threatening injuries. It all began around 1:15 a.m. when Angela was startled by a loud rumbling that felt like an earthquake. In a blink of an eye, the mother had fallen down multiple stories.
Surrounded by a pile of rubble, Gonzalez was in terrible pain but when she heard her teen daughter cry out from the debris, Angela quickly sprung into action.
Amazingly, Angela freed both herself and her daughter from the rubble and managed to reach safety.
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The pair were brought to nearby Jackson Memorial Hospital by paramedics, where both are still being treated.
Angela suffered a broken pelvis in the fall and remains intubated but stable. According to a GoFundMe page created for the family, Angela’s friend described her as “one tough lady” and said she’s expected to make a slow but full recovery.
Deven’s injuries seem to have been less severe. The teen injured her leg in the collapse and has already undergone one surgery with another expected to follow. The story gets a bit better — Angela’s oldest daughter was not home at the time of the collapse.
But as soon as she learned what had happened to her home and her family, Taylor Gonzalez quickly made her way to the hospital to be close to them.
And while the family is thankful for the survival of Angela and Deven — there are still two family members who remain among the missing: Edgar Gonzalez, Angela’s husband and the girls’ father, along with Daisy, the family dog.
Rolando Moreno, Edgar’s best friend, said the 44-year-old father of two was a hard-working lawyer, devoted dad, and “one of the greatest guys” you could ever wish to meet.
“I’m holding out hope,” Moreno told NBC News of the possibility that Edgar could still be rescued alive. “I’m praying. We have a great community of friends you know, keep fighting, keep hope alive please.”
According to the GoFundMe page, which was created by two of Angela’s friends, Kim Kaplan Marchena and Ashley Woods, $106K has been collected so far.
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