2008 Woodie Awards
Doctors mystified by "Miracle Man"
Demic is swimming his way to recovery after fall from roof
Amanda Cormier
Issue date: 10/23/08 Section: Local News
Four months after surviving the 40-foot fall that endangered his limbs and life, Robert Demic of Bristol is one step closer to reaching the goal he set in June - to tap dance by July of 2009.
Last Friday, Demic, who the Addison County Independent called, "The Miracle Man," did something that his doctors never saw in his future. He swam laps at the Mount Abraham High School pool - with both legs intact.
"I'm really driven and hopeful about getting back to being able to tap dance," he said. "That is long and slow and seems really far away, because my right leg in particular has some pretty severe damage."
On June 9, the 55 year-old Bristol contractor stood in the middle of the roof of Wild Mountain Thyme on Main Street. He was taking pictures of the sidings of the building for the Vermont Historical Society.
What happened next is still unclear to Demic - he remembers being knocked off the roof by "some sort of strong electrical shock" and waking up in a narrow muddy ledge near the falls of Otter Creek. He remembers feeling disoriented and wondering why he could not walk.
"That's when I saw my tibia and fibula sticking out of my right leg," he said.
The shock of falling 40 feet, coupled with severe injuries - a severed artery in the leg, broken collarbone, several bone fractures, burns and brain trauma - left Demic stranded. But just as Demic was slipping towards the falls, a good friend and coworker, Darren Curler, happened to stop by Wild Mountain Thyme to visit him. Seeing his friend struggling, Curler jumped into the water and pulled Demic out, tending to his injuries until a rescue crew arrived.
Throughout the pain of his extensive injuries and bouts of unconsciousness, all Demic could think about was his right leg. Doctors at Porter Hospital, and Fletcher Allen Health Care Center in Burlington, where Demic was later transported, suggested that his right leg needed to be amputated. But Demic refused.
"The pain doesn't mean nearly as much as my leg does," said Demic.
Last Friday, Demic, who the Addison County Independent called, "The Miracle Man," did something that his doctors never saw in his future. He swam laps at the Mount Abraham High School pool - with both legs intact.
"I'm really driven and hopeful about getting back to being able to tap dance," he said. "That is long and slow and seems really far away, because my right leg in particular has some pretty severe damage."
On June 9, the 55 year-old Bristol contractor stood in the middle of the roof of Wild Mountain Thyme on Main Street. He was taking pictures of the sidings of the building for the Vermont Historical Society.
What happened next is still unclear to Demic - he remembers being knocked off the roof by "some sort of strong electrical shock" and waking up in a narrow muddy ledge near the falls of Otter Creek. He remembers feeling disoriented and wondering why he could not walk.
"That's when I saw my tibia and fibula sticking out of my right leg," he said.
The shock of falling 40 feet, coupled with severe injuries - a severed artery in the leg, broken collarbone, several bone fractures, burns and brain trauma - left Demic stranded. But just as Demic was slipping towards the falls, a good friend and coworker, Darren Curler, happened to stop by Wild Mountain Thyme to visit him. Seeing his friend struggling, Curler jumped into the water and pulled Demic out, tending to his injuries until a rescue crew arrived.
Throughout the pain of his extensive injuries and bouts of unconsciousness, all Demic could think about was his right leg. Doctors at Porter Hospital, and Fletcher Allen Health Care Center in Burlington, where Demic was later transported, suggested that his right leg needed to be amputated. But Demic refused.
"The pain doesn't mean nearly as much as my leg does," said Demic.
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