Doctors update condition of boy who fell on fence

BSO: Angel Dotel falls from tree, onto metal fence

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Doctors at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital offered an update on the injuries a 10-year-old boy suffered when he fell from a tree and onto a spiked fence.

Neighbors said the boy, identified by family as Angel Dotel, was playing with his brother near a mango tree at 44th Avenue and 19th Street in West Park on Tuesday evening.

After climbing on a branch, the boy fell onto a metal fence below, a Broward Sheriff's Office spokesperson said.

The owner of the property adjacent to the tree, Wayne Parrish, said he saw Dotel on the ground after the fall and called 911. He and his friend, Prince Moore, ran to the boy.

"I heard him hollering and we basically ran over here and we seen him bleeding and we tried to stop the blood," said Parrish.

According to paramedics, who arrived minutes later, Moore had removed his own shirt and tied it around the boy's torso, applying pressure to help stop the bleeding.

"He had facial lacerations. He had a penetrating wound to the chest area up top. He had another one a little further down and he had one in his left lower abdomen," said trauma surgeon Dr. Gary Birken. "We were dealing with an open wound to the chest. We were dealing with a possible wound to the abdomen. We were dealing with some blood loss. At that time, when you can't fully access the exact extent of the injuries, also you can't predict if he sustained the type of injury that would require surgery 12 or 18 hours later, he would be classified in critical condition."

Doctors expect Dotel to make a full recovery. He's expected to remain in the hospital for about a week.