MIAMI – South Dade High School Principal Javier Perez got a hero's welcome at Marlins Park in Miami's Little Havana on Friday night.
Perez, 43, threw the first pitch of the Miami Marlins game against the Atlanta Braves. Nearly a thousand students and loved ones packed the park with signs and T-shirts that said "#JaviStrong."
It was his first public appearance since the April crash that nearly killed him, as he was coaching his son's little league baseball team at Tamiami Park. The driver, Marilyn Aguilera, plowed through the fence, struck Ileana Salort-Horta, 39.
Perez managed to barely push Elias Espinoza, 74, out of the way, before Aguilera's SUV struck him. Witnesses said his hit veered the car away from the children.
"Hopefuly in a few months I'll be wearing prosthetics and walking," Perez said. "Next time I throw the first pitch, I'll be walking."
After the car crash, Perez was in a coma and doctors were forced to amputate both legs. The community rallied around him.
"He is an inspiration to us all," Miami-Dade County Public Schools' Barabara Mendizabal said.
Some of the proceeds of the game's ticket sales will go to a foundation to help others in similar situations.