Surfer fights for his life after hitting his head on a sandbank in a bizarre accident

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. (Gray News) – Family members of a Florida surfer are praying for a miraculous recovery after he was seriously injured in a “brief accident.”

Jorge Alvarado, 49, was surfing near Sunglow Pier in Daytona Beach Shores on Friday morning when he fell off his board and hit his head on the sandbar before being swept under the pier. Good Samaritans who witnessed the incident rescued him, WFTV reports.

Alvarado is currently on a ventilator in the hospital, his friends say. He suffered a broken neck in the incident, which they describe as an “absurd accident.”

“He loves everyone, and when something like this happens to someone – a bizarre accident, a surfing accident – it's just the worst,” his longtime friend Todd Ayers told WFTV.

Alvarado is a father and grandfather and is like family to many in the local surfing community, other friends told WKMG.

“Jorge embodies the phrase 'I'm going to let this little light of mine shine,'” said his friend Chris Chibbaro. “I think the most important thing is that he's alive, that he's strong and that he's fighting.”

Alvarado's family is praying for a miracle. They are also encouraging others to pray for the 49-year-old.

“We love you, Jorge. We love you so much. We love your family and the whole world is rooting for you, I promise,” Chibbaro told WKMG.

According to WFTV, Alvarado has made some progress since his first hospitalization, including squeezing his son's hand and responding when doctors touch his neck.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help his family with expenses.

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