On a dim stretch of State Road 207, long after the dinner rush had ended, Eric Orengo was making his hourlong ride home from work the way he always did.
It was another ordinary Thursday night, the kind that fades quietly into memory. But in an flash, everything changed.
Orengo, a 28-year-old employee at St. Augustine’s revered O’Steen’s Restaurant, was traveling on his moped when a truck swerved into him from behind at an estimated 75 miles per hour.
The impact hurled him from his scooter. The truck partially ran him over, then sped away into the night, leaving Orengo broken and bleeding on the roadway.
For nearly 40 minutes, he lay there, alone and critically injured, until a passing driver noticed something unusual on the dark pavement: white socks.
The woman stopped and called for help, waiting by his side until help arrived. Her actions, his friends and family believe, likely saved his life.
First responders arrived to find devastation. Eric’s moped was folded nearly in half. His helmet lay across the street. He had suffered a spinal injury, a fractured neck, a broken right leg, a shattered left knee, a broken rib, and a severe scalp laceration so serious it required surgical reattachment.
He was airlifted to the HCA Orange Park Trauma Center in Jacksonville, where he now faces a grueling road to recovery.
“Our hearts go out to him and his family,” read a post on O’Steen’s Facebook page. “We are praying for his speedy recovery and await his return.”
Orengo is the sole provider for his wife and their three dogs.
Doctors say he will be unable to work for at least a year. His wife, now his full-time caregiver, is suddenly bring home a check as well. As medical bills mount and expenses pile, the weight of recovery grows heavier.
O’Steen’s has asked the community to keep Eric and his family in their prayers and, if possible, to offer support through his GoFundMe.
“Any donation, share, or kind word will make a difference and help us hold onto what Eric has worked so hard for,” his wife wrote.
