NBC Dallas Spotlights Crane Operator Getting Back on His Feet with Prosthetic Legs

It was just another day on the job for 49-year-old crane operator Eddie Garcia when the unthinkable happened: a crane fell over and trapped him underneath. One year after the crane accident led to the in-field amputation of Eddie’s legs above-the-knee, he walked out of Hanger Clinic in Dallas standing tall on two new prosthetic legs.

Thanks to the dedicated care of his local clinical team, including Danica Nordstrom, CPO and Kendra Krupp, Eddie is not only back to fishing with his grandson and working out in the gym, he’s made incredible progress towards his goal to return to his nearly 30-year career as a crane operator.

At a recent prosthetic follow-up appointment at Hanger Clinic, Eddie was joined by a team of supporters, including Nordstrom, Krupp, his TNT Crane & Rigging colleagues, and Dr. Lindsay Davault, the surgeon and member of the Oklahoma Surgical Extraction team who saved his life by amputating his legs in an Oklahoma quarry last July, after Eddie had been trapped beneath a crane for nearly four hours.

Dr. Davault said she was just doing her job as a surgeon, as unusual as the job was that day. “You don’t go to a scene expecting to amputate two legs,” Dr. Lindsay Davault said. “We should all be more like Eddie. He’s the most amazing, inspirational person. So driven and determined.”

Getting Back on his Feet

Eddie Garcia is learning to walk again with the help of microprocessor-controlled prosthetic legs.

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Now with the help of his prosthetic legs, Eddie’s incredible determination and positive attitude continue to propel him forward. “You just don’t give up. This is not going to hold me back.”

View the full press release or watch the NBC DFW story to see Eddie’s incredible journey.