A North Carolina teenager who lost his foot in a tree removal accident soon found himself recovering in the same building as the man who saved him.
Bryson Wilkinson, 18, was working a shift at a tree removal company on Wednesday, May 21, when he became entangled in a rope, losing his foot and part of his right leg in the accident, according to local NBC affiliate WECT.
“I figured it was over for me. “I thought that would be the end of my life,” Wilkinson said.
Gary Caldwell, a local resident, rushed to apply a tourniquet, and Wilkinson was transported to a nearby hospital for an amputation.
Caldwell was admitted to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, just down the hall from Wilkinson, according to local station WRAL.
“He ended up in a motorcycle accident,” Wilkinson told WRAL. “I just could not believe what I saw.”
Doctors assisted in reuniting them as both began to heal.
“I burst into tears the moment I walked in. “I could not believe it,” Wilkinson told WECT. “I am going to keep staying in touch with him as long as I can.”
Wilkinson has been using TikTok to share updates on his recovery since returning home from the hospital. A GoFundMe campaign to support him has raised more than $1,000.
“I want people to know that losing a limb does not mean their lives are over. “Things happen,” he told WECT. “They can overcome it in life. They do not need to give up. They do not need to lose hope.”
