In January 2025, Houston was under an extreme cold weather warning and residents were encouraged to stay home and off the roads due to possible ice.
Once conditions slightly improved, employees at Narciso Careaga’s company were told to return to work with caution—completing their routes and head home before temperatures dropped again and roads refroze.
By the time he finished unloading, it was nearing 5 p.m., the sun was going down and temperatures were dropping. As he was about to leave, he noticed a coworker arriving to unload his truck.
“I knew neither one of us wanted to be stuck driving on ice, so I went back to help him,” he recalls.
As they unloaded the second to last metal rack of hospital biohazard materials, the rack began tilting toward Careaga. They tried to straighten it out, but it was too late—the rack fell on Careaga’s left leg.
“As soon as it fell on me I heard three snaps and knew it had broken my leg,” he recalls. “My coworker froze, but then came to and was able to get me out from under the rack. My leg was swollen and looked like the Incredible Hulk.”
Careaga’s boss, who was on his way home, received a call about what happened. He turned around and told Careaga he’d take him to the Texas Medical Center.
“I knew that was going to take a long time in rush hour traffic, so I insisted that he take me to LBJ (Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson) Hospital,” he says. “It was much closer to us, plus I had a great experience with them when I had my gallbladder taken out.”
When he arrived at the hospital’s emergency center Careaga experienced the most intense pain ever.
“As they’re transferring me to the wheelchair, I got a Charley horse in my broken leg—that was absolutely terrible,” he says. “The pain was intense, and I was ready for it to be over right there.”
Doctors stabilized his leg and scheduled him for surgery the next morning.
“My treatment and recovery were great,” he says.
After spending three days at LBJ Hospital, he was released on crutches the day before his birthday.