Man who fell 500 feet expected to recover

NEW YORK, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Doctors treating a man who survived a 47-story drop from a New York building said they expect him to recover completely in about a year.

Alcides Moreno, who stayed with his window washer's platform as it fell 500 feet from an Upper East Side apartment building Dec. 7, began speaking again on Christmas Day and doctors expressed optimism that he will regain the ability to walk, The New York Times reported Friday.

Dr. Philip Barie, the chief of the division of critical care at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, said Moreno's pelvis wasn't injured in the fall and he has been scheduled for a surgical procedure Friday to stabilize his spine. The doctor said most of the injuries to the victim's legs have been repaired but he will require an additional orthopedic operation.

"If you are a believer in miracles, this would be one," Barie said in the Times' article.

"We are very pleased -- dare I say astonished? -- at the level of recovery that this patient has enjoyed so far," he said, "and although there is more work to be done, we are very optimistic for his prospects for survival."

"Our goal is not just survival, but functional survival," he said.