Boxer’s Family Requests Help:
Humberto Avila, aka "Beto", loves boxing and he trained relentlessly at the Devil Dog Boxing Gym in Chandler, Arizona. He was an amateur fighter who had no aspirations to become professional, but he valued the sport as a tool for physical and spiritual growth. Beto was a winner, regardless of his record.
His training was interrupted. late summer 2012, when he was struck by a vehicle while he was jogging through a crosswalk in Tempe, Arizona. According to a family member who recounted the incident after hearing details from the victim, two vehicles swerved in an attempt to avoid hitting Beto who instinctively jumped in the air and landed on the hood of a SUV, one of the involved vehicles. Avila suffered lower back pain and a deeply bruised ankle which was slow to heal. He went to a nearby Urgent Care facility after a police report was filed. Humberto was given a prescription for pain and then released. The medical inspection didn’t include an MRI which brings up the question of how thorough was his physical exam.
So far, the two insurance carriers have been reluctant to address the incident to the satisfaction of Beto and his family. It is not known whether either driver was cited for possible negligence. The family may hire an attorney to mitigate and settle an issue that could have been resolved by now; if there is an open line of communications.
It took several months for Beto to rehabilitate himself and the 29 year old audio/visual specialist was feeling pretty hyped about the prospect of returning to boxing and living a healthy and productive life. He had bills to pay and places to go. Avila is a audio/visual specialist for Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center while Nico works as a chef at Pita Jungle, a popular eatery in Tempe. Friends and co-workers describe them as a loving couple with strong community ties. They are the typical American family: hard working and responsible and certainly not immune from the trials and tribulations that test us all on a daily basis.
On Christmas Eve, Humberto and his lovely Wife (Nicolette David Avila ) of six months, loaded their 2006 Nissan Versa Hatchback and headed for Ajo, Arizona where they planned to spend their Christmas Holiday with friends and family. Aboard for the trip were the family dogs (Leela & Naru) and their masters, Nico and Beto. Mr. Avila decided to drive and let Nico catch some much needed sleep. It was sometime between noon and 1 p.m. when the couple left Tempe. Ajo is approximately a 115-120 mile drive from Tempe which translates into a 2 hour journey give or take a few minutes.
The newlywed couple were on Highway 85, 7 miles away from their Ajo Exit, when Beto fell asleep at the wheel and Nico was also asleep. Their car began to drift across the center line of the highway and was obviously out of control. Frank and Katie Le Master just happened to be traveling on the same road and they knew the vehicle in trouble belonged to Humberto and Nicolette because they knew the family personally for many years. Ajo is a small town where everybody knows everybody, including their pets.
Immediately, Frank, a law enforcement officer, went to his horn in an effort to wake up his friend whom he assumed had fallen asleep. He was very familiar with the sight before him after a few horn blasts, Beto awakened; saw the looming crisis and panicked by over steering and applying the brakes too hard. As a result their vehicle rolled over 2 1/2 times and finally stopped after traveling a distance of 45 yards off the highway. The car was totalled and the lives of Beto and Nico will never be the same and it all happened in a matter of seconds.
Frank and Katie are the perfect people to handle any type of crisis; cool, calm and collected. Frank or Katie called 911 and gave precise directions on how to reach the scene of the accident. Katie,a former Lifeguard, talked to the two victims and relayed useful information to the first responders. The couple also set up a volunteer task force from the number concerned travelers who stopped to help .After the traumatic rescue was completed, Katie and Frank received special praise from the first responders and members of the victim’s family.
The Le Masters knew, after insightful questioning, that Humberto would probably need to be airlifted to a Special Care Unit Facility because he told his friends he was numb and that meant paralysis and possible spinal cord injury. Beto was trapped inside the car when the professional responders arrived and he was carefully removed from the Hatchback and swiftly flown to Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix where he was admitted in the Barrow’s Neurological Institute wing of the hospital.
Miraculously, a battered and bruised Nico was up and walking at the scene. It had to be a combination of adrenalin rush and concern for Humberto. Whatever the reason, it was a huge sigh of relief for her husband who wasn’t so fortunate.
Beto suffered a broken neck and a spinal cord injury that left him without movement below his shoulders. Mr. Avila remains at Saint Joseph’s Hospital where he has shown slight improvement,but the road to recovery will be long and uncertain.
While insurance is covering some medical expense, It doesn’t provide for loss of income and special needs that he might be require for his rehabilitation process. And, now that the family has been reduced to one bread winner, bare necessities, such as food and rent, will be harder to pay for.
To cope with their mounting bills that may exceed hundreds of thousands of dollars, Nico’s sister, Nellie has started an account for online donations to help this young family in their time of need. If you have the will and means to help, please go online: gofundme.com/betoandnico.info.
Nico’s father, Hollister David, has asked members of media(participating in the donation drive) to thank all donors for their generosity and a special thank you to the first responders who were vital in the rescue of Beto and Nico Avila. Until Next Time!
January 5, 2013
