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A Florida surfer is on life support after suffering a serious head injury while surfing in Daytona Beach on Friday, officials say.
Jorge Alvarado, 49, was surfing on the south side of the Sunglow Pier at around 9 a.m. on Friday when he collided with a sandbar and became stuck on a piling under the pier, according to Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue. The rescue agency’s director, Tamra Malphurs, said it, “sounds like the lateral current pushed him into the pier after he hit his head.”
Other surfers reportedly came to Alvarado’s rescue and worked for several minutes to free him from beneath the pier, reported The Inertia. After receiving life-saving measures from first responders, he was transported to a local hospital.
The Orange County surfer’s friends have since revealed he is on life support, on a GoFundMe page that describes him as someone who is “loved by so many people.”
“We want to make sure as a community that we take care of him and his family during this difficult time,” the description continued. “We love you brother, keep fighting! You got this.”
The page has raised just over $11,500 of its $25,000 target thanks to 120 donations.
The Independent has contacted Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue for further details.
“Jorge is the embodiment of the phrase ‘this little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine’,” his friend, Chis Chibbaro, told News 6. “I think the most important thing is that he’s alive, he’s strong, and he’s fighting.”
“He has this jovial spirit, makes fast friends with everyone. He’s kind of like all of the community youngsters, he’s almost like their uncle and dad or something,” said Brian Holmes, another friend of the beloved surfer.
Alvarado’s Facebook page is brimming with pictures of his family and shots of him surfing.
