Worker buried in DC building collapse unlikely to walk again

Doctors say man who was buried during Northwest DC building will likely never walk again

A worker who spent approximately 90 minutes buried under debris after a building collapse in DC will likely never walk again, according to his family.

WASHINGTON - A D.C. worker who was buried "under three stories of debris" when a building collapsed last week in Northwest is unlikely to walk again, doctors told his family.

The man’s sister identified him as 27-year-old Leonardo Moreto Da Silva.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to pay for medical expenses and the equipment the family may need moving forward, as Da Silva may never been able to walk again.

Da Silva remained trapped for approximately 90 minutes after the building collapse in Northwest D.C.

Worker buried in DC building collapse unlikely to walk again

A D.C. worker who was buried "under three stories of debris" when a building collapsed last week in Northwest is unlikely to walk again, doctors told his family.

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His sister, Leidiane Guimaraes, told FOX 5 that Da Silva is in ICU, and will remain there for a significant amount of time.

Over the weekend, doctors told the family Da Silva is paralyzed from the knees down, and will need to use a wheelchair.

She said Da Silva is still in shock after the ordeal, and will need psychological help as well as considerable rehab once he’s out of the hospital.

Four other workers were pulled from the rubble and taken to a local hospital shortly after crews arrived at the scene in the 900 block of Kennedy Street, Northwest at 3:30 p.m.

Guimaraes teared up while talking to FOX 5’s Stephanie Ramirez, expressing gratitude for the firefighters and emergency workers who saved Da Silva’s life.

"I’m very thankful and I want to thank all the D.C. helpers and firefighters – everybody who were there and helping him and supporting him too," she said.

Guimaraes says her brother was a civil engineer in Brazil and came to visit right before the pandemic began, deciding to stay with them. He apparently applied for a student visa and was planning to go back to school to improve his English.

The building collapsed during the height of a severe thunderstorm that ripped through the D.C. region – spawning two tornadoes, one in Arlington, and another in the city proper.

The cause of the collapse has not been identified.

Guimaraes says she is talking a lawyer, and wants to get to the bottom of what happened on Kennedy Street, Northwest.

DCRA says the property owner can’t remove this wreckage until they are done investigating.

Washington, D.C.