PORTLAND, Ore. — A Portland man is lucky to be alive after falling off his roof while hanging Christmas lights.
Jason Botel says he was trying to get in the holiday spirit and beat the rain when he fell last week. His wife discovered him on the pavement, not breathing.
Botel woke up in the hospital not remembering anything about the fall. He spent a week there getting treated for head, hip and spine injuries. Doctors said that his recovery will take anywhere from eight to 12 weeks.
“I could have been paralyzed; I could have been dead. My family thought I was dead,” Botel told KGW on Wednesday, just hours after returning home from the hospital. “They have been dealing with that trauma while I have been working in the hospital to recover from my trauma.”
Botel urges others to be careful if they decide to climb on the roof to hang lights this year. He hopes that if anyone is unsure about it, they just call a professional.
Botel’s family has started a GoFundMe page to help pay for his medical bills. A link to the page can be found here.