A local MMA fighter is now fighting to recover after he fell more than 50 feet from Highway 87 overpass down by the Guadalupe River.
A jogger found Sam Romero lying along the Guadalupe Trail, partially submerged in water, on Monday in San Jose but no one knows how he ended up there. Police say Romero fell or was possibly thrown from the highway some time after he met friends for dinner at San Pedro Square on Sunday night.
"They brought him not responsive and I collapsed. I thought my son was dead," his mother Nicole Romero said.
Romero was brought to the hospital where doctors performed multiple surgeries on his back, as well as his aorta. He remains in in critical condition at Valley Medical Center where he also faces more procedures.
The fighter was a football star at Branham High School before he became a mixed martial arts fighter, Romero's grandfather Ray Romero said. He also teaches jujitsu to kids.
"It's the toughest fight of his life. He’s a fighter. He won't give up. He won’t give up," Ray said.
The Romeros hope someone will be able to shed light on what happened to their loved on on Sunday night.
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"The one I’m just relying on is God. God is going to get me through this. God is going to get my son through this," Nicole said.
