Puerto Rican victim of Santo Domingo roof collapse is transferred to island

A volunteer rescue crew led by members of the Puerto Rico Firefighters Bureau surveys the damage at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where a roof collapse claimed more than 220 lives last week. (Facebook via Cuerpo de Bomberos de PR)

By The Star Staff

The Dominican National Health Service has reported that a resident of Puerto Rico who was hospitalized as a result of the roof collapse at the JetSet nightclub in Santo Domingo, was transferred back to the U.S. territory at the request of his family.

Currently, two patients injured in the roof collapse have been discharged, while 12 remain hospitalized in Santo Domingo within the neighboring Caribbean nation’s public health system. Among those hospitalized, three have a reserved prognosis following the collapse of the roof at the iconic nightspot last week that claimed the lives of 221 people.

The 35-year-old Puerto Rican, who had been receiving care at Marcelino Vélez Santana Hospital, was transferred in stable condition, although he had previously been in critical condition. Another patient, a 40-year-old man, remains hospitalized and stable, although he is on continuous dialysis.

At the Ney Arias Lora Traumatology Unit, two patients, a 48-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man, have been discharged. Seven patients aged between 26 and 40 are still hospitalized, with two of them in the ICU with a reserved prognosis.

At Salvador B. Gautier Hospital, a 24-year-old woman with severe injuries to a lower limb is currently receiving care in the ICU and is showing signs of improvement. A 55-year-old man, who worked as a waiter at the nightclub and suffered blunt thoracoabdominal trauma, is in very critical condition.

Meanwhile, at the Darío Contreras Traumatology Unit, a 46-year-old man remains in the ICU on mechanical ventilation but is showing slight improvement. A 33-year-old Colombian woman has also been receiving care at the same health center since last Saturday.

Dr. Mario Lama, representing the National Health Service, expressed his respect for the efforts of the medical teams involved in treating patients injured in last Tuesday’s roof collapse. That includes doctors Julio Landrón from Ney Arias Lora Hospital, César Roque from Darío Contreras Hospital, Willy Victoria from Marcelino Vélez Santana Hospital, and Armando Holguín from Salvador B. Gautier Hospital, who lead the main centers providing care to the patients.