Nov. 30, 2017 is a day that forever changed the life of Pedro Benavides.
"I'm originally a pipe layer at James Construction and they were short a hand on another job in Belton, so I went to go help them," Benavides said.
Benavides said he was about 10 feet up in the air trying to guide a crane that was stacking concrete barriers when something went wrong.
"The crane operator lost control and he squashed my feet," Benavides added.
"He dropped a 2,000-pound concrete barrier on his legs," Elizabeth Guajardo, Benavides' wife, said.
Two days after the accident, Benavides had to have his left leg amputated below the knee.
"I didn't even want to see my bottom of my body, my legs. I didn't want to see it. I was, I couldn't take it," Benavides said.
Benavides added he also lost two toes on his right foot and shattered his ankle, which is currently healing in a boot and cannot take any pressure, confining him to a wheelchair.
"Paycheck to paycheck, that's how I pay my bills... now I can't do that," Benavides said.
Workers compensation has put Benavides in a hotel until Feb. 28 because his home is not wheelchair accessible. Their four children are staying with family.
"I don't know where we're gonna go. I don't know if he's gonna be able to get up the stairs, I don't know where we're gonna be," Guajardo added.
Guajardo recently tried to help her husband and ended up hurting her own ankle putting her in a boot, too.
"I can't pull him in the wheelchair and push myself on crutches so, we're really having a hard time getting around and taking care of each other," Guajardo said.
The Benavides family will be holding a bake sale at Bush's Chicken in Belton off Loop 121 Wednesday beginning at 10 a.m.
On Feb. 2, there will be a benefit dance in honor of the Benavides family at the Pan American Club in Harker Heights at 575 Pan American Dr.
The dance will start at 6 p.m. and go until midnight.
Barbecue plates will be sold for $10. Live music by Benavides' stepson's band, the June Bugs, will play as well as DJ Desperado.
All proceeds will go to helping the Benavides family. For more information, you can call (254) 217-3688.
You can also donate here.
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