By Michael Lee Simpson via SWNS
Stephen Lambert, 39, never imagined that a regular day at work would lead to a life-altering event.
On October 10, 2022, the Ocala, Florida roofer was Gaco patching metal screws on a rooftop when he fell through a fiberglass skylight on a 40ft four-story building.
Despite three brain bleeds and 23 broken bones – including every bone in his face – he pulled through and woke up from a five week coma.
“I broke parts of my neck, my wrist, my femur, my hip, and a bunch of other bones,” he shared.
“I was in the ICU for a week, and my family and friends were there the entire time.”
Remarkably, he has no memory of the devastating four-story plunge.
“I think my mind rejected me from the trauma of the fall,” Lambert said. “I still don’t remember it to this day.”
Lambert’s sister, Barbara Harris, 44, a group home manager, remembers the frightening moment when their family first learned of the fall.
“Somebody that he worked with contacted the place he was living, then they contacted my mom. It was a chain of events. Everything kind of dominoed,” Harris recalls.
“When we first saw him, we thought for sure that he was dead or was going to die because it was quite a drastic fall and his injuries were serious.”
The aftermath was grim. Lambert woke up five weeks later in a Jacksonville hospital, having sustained extensive injuries.
Harris, however, remembers those early days vividly.
“The first few days, we were kind of seeing if he was going to live, but then he started making improvements every day,” she says.
“He was on a ventilator and heavily sedated so he could heal from some of his wounds and injuries. It was just a lot of constant monitoring.”
In addition to his physical recovery, Lambert faced another component. Sober since 2020 from meth and heroin after a near 20-year addiction, he was determined to avoid relapsing despite the pain.
“My family knew I was in recovery and told the doctors, ‘You better get him off that fentanyl before he wakes up,’” Lambert said. “I had every excuse in the world to take pain pills, but I wasn’t going to jeopardize my sobriety.”
Throughout it all, loved ones remained by his side.
“Friends of his, family, people that he was in [addiction] recovery with, people from his church — lots of people visited,” Harris shared.
“He doesn’t really remember much, just what people have told him.”
Lambert recalls he was at a wedding the night before the accident and had little recollection of anything from that day.
Recovery proved to be a long and arduous journey. Lambert had multiple surgeries, including plates in his face, wrist, forearm, and hip. Yet, he never lost sight of his sobriety, dedicating himself to helping others through addiction recovery meetings.
“I go to addiction recovery meetings at least four times a week just to show that it’s possible to stay sober through all of this,” the Floridian said.
Harris reflects on how fortunate her brother is to have survived such a horrifying fall.
“He’s very lucky to be in the position he’s in now,” she says, adding that she learned “not to get on a roof” and to “be thankful that you get to live another day.”
Lambert’s employer also played a key role in his healing process.
“Certified Roofing Solutions has been a blessing to me. They paid my full check every week since I’ve fallen, which is kind of unheard of,” he said.
“Workers’ Comp has also been incredible, and my case worker, Lindsay, is the most amazing person.”
Now, Lambert focuses on giving back, filling his days with service work and helping others in recovery. His survival is nothing short of miraculous, and his commitment to staying sober and helping others is a testament to his resilience.
“I never in a million years thought I could be who I am today and have people who care about me,” Lambert reflects. “My life today is all about staying sober and giving back. That’s what keeps me going.”
