Crash victim powers his way forward
Fort Erie’s Dennis Hernandez-Galeano has big plan for big 4-0
Dennis Hernandez-Galeano will be surrounded by friends and family when he turns 40 this weekend.
He celebrated his 20th “second birthday” last July, the anniversary of the car crash that left him confined to a wheelchair with a serious spinal cord injury.
But the unfortunate incident near the Port Colborne-Welland border in 1997, when he was in his last year of high school, hasn’t slowed him down or put his life on hold.
He is chair of the Town of Fort Erie’s accessibility advisory committee as well as the Fort
Erie Active Transportation Committee. He also sits on Niagara Region’s accessibility committee, along with a similar group through Niagara Health.
In the summer months, he is a coach and board member with Greater Fort Erie Youth Soccer Club.
In 2012, he was the lead in the Rick Hansen Relay for Life when it passed through Fort Erie.
He is also a key organizer in a Latino social club that has been growing over the past two years.
On Saturday, at the Italo-Canadian Club on Dipietro Street, Hernandez-Galeano is inviting friends, family and the local community to a birthday party, which he will use to raise money for Power Cord, a workout program and facility offered at Brock University for people with spinal cord injuries.
About 26 years ago, Hernandez and his siblings and parents moved to Fort Erie after spending seven years in the U.S. following their emigration from Nicaragua.
After about three years in Canada, the family faced the threat of deportation back to their home country, but through the persistence of many people in the Niagara community, including Lakeshore Catholic High School and then MP John Maloney, they obtained Canadian citizenship and received permission to stay.
With everything he’s been through, Hernandez-Galeano says the idea for his charity birthday party comes from his desire to show appreciation for the community and country that has been so welcoming.
“That has so much to do with it,” he said in an interview at his home on Thursday. “It’s my way of contributing to society, and making Canada and our area a better place.”
Canada has given him and his family a second chance — and he’s forever grateful for this.
“I’ve been living more than half my life here, and I take great pride in that,” he said.
Heavy fog and poor signage were determined to be factors in the 1997 crash. Hernandez-Galeano was one of five people in the vehicle being driven by a designated driver that night.
He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. His injury was caused when the impact of the car going off the road forced him upward and caused his head to hit the ceiling of the car in the backseat.
The other individuals in the car are his best friends today, who he said are like brothers to him.
“We’re just lucky that nobody died,” he said. “Yes, I was the only one that got hurt, but the whole thing is that I’m still here — and I’m very fortunate to have a lot of great people in my life the last 20 years.”
Staying active and busy is vital for someone in his situation, something he tries to be every day.
“I’ve lived my life as close as possible to how it was before,” he said.
Saturday’s fundraiser has plenty of prizes to be won and kids are also invited. It runs 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets are $15.