SALEM, Ore. — A Salem man is starting a slow recovery process, still in the hospital three weeks after a suspected thief struck him with his own truck, and took off.
The incident happened around 7:20 a.m. on May 30 in Salem — in the McDonald's parking lot where Gary Adams was picking up food donations for the Union Gospel Mission of Salem. He's a food truck driver for the organization.
"I’ve been there for 10 years," Adams explained over Zoom Friday, from his hospital room. "Two for the clothes and furniture side, and then eight years for the food side."
McDonald's on Lancaster Drive Northeast was one of the stops on his route that morning. He went inside to get the donations, but when he walked out, he heard someone starting up his box truck.
"I dropped the bags and I went around to the front. I opened the door, and I tried grabbing the guy and pulling him out — and of course I startled him and he floored it when it was in reverse."
Adams said he lost his grip, fell to the pavement, and the next thing he knew — the truck's back wheels ran over his hip. All he could do was watch as the man inside his vehicle sped out of the parking lot.
"I saw him driving away, and I could not move. My legs were not moving and my arms were barely moving," he recalled. "You could tell that nothing was going to stand on his way of getting out of there."
Salem Police reported that as the suspect fled in the stolen truck, he struck another vehicle, and a short time later, people reported the suspect driving recklessly on northbound I-5. Officials said the suspect eluded officers from different agencies who pursued the stolen vehicle, but ultimately came to a stop when he crashed in Woodburn.
The suspect was identified as 42-year-old Eloy Tello. He's charged with assault, hit-and-run, theft and DUII. He's currently behind bars in the Marion County Jail.
"I'm glad he was apprehended and so fast," said Adams.
In the weeks since the incident, Adams has had two surgeries to put his hip, and leg back together.
"It's just going to be a long progress. It might be three months down the road before I'll even be able to use like a walker."
Despite this painful setback, he's overflowing with gratitude and looking forward to eventually rejoining his team at Union Gospel Mission.
"They said that they're just waiting for me!" he said. "To have all these people, knowing that they're all behind me and they're always thinking of me...it's just an uplift and helps me keep going."
To help with some of the medical expenses, there's a GoFundMe page for Adams.