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Kiteboarder featured on St. Mary's billboard after July accident

Posted at 7:28 PM, May 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-24 19:29:34-04

You might remember that terrifying video from last July in Juno Beach. It showed Damien LeRoy dropping more than 150 feet out of the air. He was forced to make a split second decision after his lines got twisted while paragliding.

“For sure, miracles happen,” said LeRoy. “This was a better outcome to jump into these bushes. They broke my fall for sure, but they also broke some things.”
 
They broke a lot of things, including his femur, his back, his pelvis and some ribs.

Now more than ten months after the accident, this professional athlete says he’s already back on the water. There's one reason why.
 
“Everyone involved there at the hospital, they gave me a second chance, truthfully,” said LeRoy.
 
That's why LeRoy was more than willing to team up with the hospital whose staff gave him that second chance.

He agreed to be one of the faces for St. Mary’s Trauma Center, now towering on a billboard over I-95 south near 45th Street.

“That’s the goal of our trauma center is we take care of our patients and make sure they recuperate as 100 percent of their previous condition,” said Dr. Lama, one of LeRoy’s trauma doctors.
 
“There’s a lot of accidents everyday, it’s just something to be thankful for that you’re healthy and happy,” said LeRoy.
 
May is Trauma Awareness Month.