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‘Ejected from his wheelchair:’ Seminole County man hospitalized after deadly New Orleans attack

Jeremi Sensky remains in a New Orleans hospital

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Jeremi Sensky remains in a New Orleans hospital, four days after he was nearly killed by a truck that plowed through a New Year’s celebration on Bourbon Street.

“He was struck by the truck and ejected from his wheelchair. He has a black eye, a gash in his head, road rash all over his body, swollen arms and hands, and both of his legs were shattered—one of which had a bone sticking out that he watched them saw off,” said his daughter Heaven Sensky-Kirsch.

Sensky, who was already paralyzed from the waist down before the attack, traveled to New Orleans with his daughter Sensky-Kirsch before heading to their winter home in Sanford.

“He doesn’t even drink,” Sensky-Kirsch said. “He was out there enjoying life and enjoying the music.”

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That night, Sensky-Kirsch said her father was making his way back to their hotel room after dinner with friends. When he didn’t call, they turned on the news and learned about the tragic attack.

“We made our way to the nearest trauma unit at the University Medical Center in New Orleans and waited with the other families. We were very lucky to get better news than a lot of the folks around us did,” Sensky-Kirsch said.

Hundreds of people gathered at a vigil for the victims and survivors of the deadly attack.

More than $28,000 in donations has been raised through a GoFundMe set up to help pay for Sensky’s medical bills.

Sensky-Kirsch said her father’s road to recovery will be long, but the outpouring of support has helped him stay in high spirits.

“Just this afternoon, my dad was talking about how excited he is for Porchfest in downtown Sanford. We think it’s important for people to know and see that resilience to keep living life. We hope the folks haunted by that image, like we were, know that he is okay,” Sensky-Kirsch said.

She also shared that Permobil has provided her father with a new wheelchair.

Additionally, the United States Cajun Navy and the United Way of Southeast Louisiana have connected the family to numerous resources.


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