Inset: Rogelio Vidal in the hospital after getting his hand amputated (GoFundMe). Background: The scene of the DUI crash that left Las Vegas father Rogelio Vidal with a severely mangled hand (KVVU/GoFundMe).
A "hardworking" Nevada dad on his morning commute to his commercial painting job had to get his hand amputated after it was mangled in a freeway ramp crash caused by a drunk driver, his family and cops say.
It was around 6 a.m. on May 15 when 54-year-old Rogelio Vidal was allegedly hit by Toyota Scion driver Aaron Nelson Hall on a ramp connecting Interstate 11 and Interstate 15, near the "Spaghetti Bowl" freeway interchange in downtown Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
"I felt the hit from the back," Vidal recounted to the local newspaper. "After the impact, I kind of fainted or something."
When Vidal came to, he realized his truck had flipped over and his hand was severely injured. The father told the Review-Journal he screamed upon seeing the severity of his injury and remembered little else until he reached the hospital.
"He was on his way to work when he was hit," a GoFundMe launched by Vidal's daughter says. "The impact made his truck roll over multiple times landing on the driver side. He lost most of his fingers in the accident and was taken to UMC trauma, needing immediate surgery."
According to Vidal's family, "the best decision was to get his hand amputated." The "devastating experience" has left him wondering if he will ever be able to paint the same way again.
"I want to continue to work as a painter, but I know I won't be able to do it like I used to," Vidal told the Review-Journal. His daughter describes him in her GoFundMe as a "hardworking man who loves his family and always finds a way to provide, no matter what."
"He takes pride in his work and enjoys every moment he spends with his loved ones," the GoFundMe adds.
Hall was arrested and charged with felony DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and reckless driving, along with traffic-related misdemeanors, the Review-Journal reports.
Court records show Hall posted $75,000 bail shortly after his arrest.
"I want the other driver to pay my damages, all the costs and everything that's happened to me, both psychologically and physically," Vidal said. "I don't understand how he has been able to pay for bail and already be out of jail."
Despite his anger over what happened, Vidal said he is trying to lead with forgiveness.
"I don't feel anger toward the other guy because only God knows why he does things," Vidal said. "This is what God had planned."
Vidal's son, Rogelio Vidal Jr., told the Review-Journal that watching his father struggle with the amputation has been "devastating" for their family.
"My dad is a good person," Vidal Jr. said. "He's hardworking and he's always cautious. You don't expect something like this to happen to someone like that."
Hall has pleaded not guilty.
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