Wyoming Teen Paralyzed in Street Sweeper Crash Begins Remarkable Recovery

Cindy Anzurez's 13-year-old son Gonzalo was left paralyzed from the shoulders down after they got into a car accident with a street sweeper truck in August 2024

A Wyoming mother’s life was forever changed on August 1, 2024, when her 13-year-old son, Gonzalo Anzurez, was paralyzed in a car accident involving a street sweeper. Cindy Anzurez, 43, was driving her pickup truck with Gonzalo in the front seat and her two younger daughters in the back when sunlight blinded her through the windshield. While driving at 30 to 35 mph and attempting a lane change, the truck “nicked the corner of a street sweeper,” causing Gonzalo’s seat belt to fail and propelling him into the windshield.

The crash fractured Gonzalo’s C4 and C5 vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed from the shoulders down, and caused serious head lacerations and a traumatic brain injury. His mother and sisters, ages 11 and 2, escaped unharmed. Gonzalo was airlifted to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Denver, where he remained hospitalized for six months, initially requiring a ventilator, tracheotomy, and gastrostomy tube.

Gonzalo was in the hospital for the next six months, until he was released in January

The accident compounded a series of hardships for the family, including a flood that damaged their home on Memorial Day weekend 2024 and a garage fire on July 4 that destroyed most of their belongings. Cindy Anzurez’s husband left the family after learning Gonzalo would be vent-dependent long term, leaving her as the sole caregiver for her four other children.

Despite the challenges, Gonzalo has made extraordinary progress. He survived without lasting brain damage and has regained partial movement in his shoulders and biceps. Since leaving the hospital in January, he has adapted to a wheelchair controlled by head movements and returned to the ninth grade with the support of a dedicated nurse and paraprofessional.

Gonzalo's father left the family and the state after he was told that his son would likely need a feeding tube for the rest of his life. Gonzalo has since recovered the ability to breathe on his own and eat solid food

Gonzalo’s hobbies have adjusted but remain active; he continues to help his mother with meal preparation, coaches his younger siblings during fishing trips, and explores creative projects with the aid of a QuadStick device, computer, and 3D printer provided by Make-A-Wish Wyoming. Gonzalo credits the device with allowing him to “explore my possibilities to create things” and has embraced a positive outlook on life, focusing on enjoying each day despite his limitations.

Cindy Anzurez praised the Powell community for their ongoing support, providing meals, transportation for her younger children, and assistance with Gonzalo’s care. “Our community is just so amazing, and we couldn’t have done it without them,” she said. Gonzalo continues to adjust to life after the accident while finding ways to stay active, creative, and optimistic.

Gonzalo was an outdoorsy kid who also liked to cook. His hobbies have changed slightly, but he still loves directing his siblings during fishing expeditions