A late-night walk to grab a snack nearly cost the drummer of the OutLaw Mariachi band his life after he was struck in a hit-and-run in Tempe, according to his wife.
The OutLaw Mariachi band was only in Arizona for a few hours on Oct. 9 when Adan Alcala, 32, of Fresno California, decided to walk a few minutes down the road to get a midnight snack.
Moments later, at the intersection of McClintock and Palmcroft, a car came crashing into him before he entered the store and fled the scene before officers arrived, according to Alcala's wife, Jennifer Elford, 27.
"At 2:27 a.m. an officer with the Tempe Police Department called me by an unknown number requesting I call back as soon as possible because my husband had been in an accident," Elford said. "At this
point, I definitely knew something was wrong."
After speaking with an officer, Elford was scrambling to find the next flight to Arizona to be by her husband's side. She boarded a 6 a.m. flight from Fresno and arrived at Banner Desert Medical Center around 9 a.m., where she learned the extent of her husband's injuries.
Doctors had explained to Elford that Alcala had already undergone surgery to remove his spleen and was being prepped for a second operation. However, Elford said doctors warned her they weren't sure how much they would be able to accomplish during the procedure.
"We got to the hospital, and he was on a ventilator," she said, "He had a tube in his chest and wasn't really present."
Between multiple surgeries and rounds of blood transfusions, the medical staff at Banner Desert Medical Center worked tirelessly in order to stabilize him, according to Elford.
"Anytime someone new from the medical staff entered the room, they would look at the chart and would tell me they were surprised he was still alive," Elford said.
Medical staff told Elford that Alcala had suffered a shattered ankle and pelvis, fractures to his left humerus and clavicle, broken ribs, a fractured C2 vertebrae in his neck and a collapsed lung.
The orthopedic surgeon overseeing Alcala's care also warned Elford that the severity of his ankle injury could mean he may never run again.
"We are very active people," Elford said, "I love running and he runs with me, so the thought of something like that being taken away from him, it's unfair. I mean, it's debilitating to think about."
Family rallies around Alcala
"Life doesn't just unfortunately pause while you deal with something like this," Elford said, "We have a GoFundMe to help us out because the bills won't stop coming."
In a GoFundMe created by Alcala's wife and father, Steve Alcala, the self-employed musician who serves as the household's main breadwinner, faces months of financial uncertainty. Elford said the family expects to rely on a single income for about a year.
"Right now, he is unable to do anything, and he will not be mobile for months," the GoFundMe stated.
Alcala's family is anticipating that he will be bound to a wheelchair for months before starting physical therapy.
Donations to Alcala will help him and his wife keep up with the ongoing basics while he recovers, this includes various bills, transportation, food and in-home care, according to the GoFundMe.
"Predictable support can help cover these continuing expenses while he is unable to work," according to the GoFundMe, "and give him some stability during the months ahead."
'They know who they are and they know what they did'
The Tempe Police Department has opened an investigation into the hit-and-run, but the department has yet to find the suspect involved with the accident.
"I want this person to be caught and brought to justice," Elford said, "No one should go through this, his parents almost lost their baby boy, and I almost lost my husband. A situation like this was our greatest fear."
Detectives with the Tempe police department issued a statement on Oct. 15, saying they are pursuing leads to identify the driver involved but have yet to provide any additional details about the investigation.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The OutLaw Mariachi drummer critically injured in Tempe hit-and-run
