NBC 5 has obtained the first video from inside the Sandman Signature Hotel in Fort Worth since it was rocked by an explosion one week ago.
The blast injured 21 people, including Carmen Hermosillo, an employee who was trapped under the rubble for two hours. Her family told NBC 5 that Hermosillo is struggling to recover from the incident.
"She's a really active person," Monica Montano said. Montana is Hermosillo's oldest daughter. "After this, it's really difficult to see her like barely moving."
The 15-year-old and her younger sister, Marely Montano now help their father care for their mother and their two younger brothers.
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Hermosillo spoke to NBC 5 off-camera. She said she had only worked as part of the hotel's housekeeping staff for six months and remembers a strong smell of natural gas the day of the explosion.
According to Hermosillo, she was working on the sixth floor of the hotel. While she does not remember the moment of the explosion, Hermosillo said she pressed the button of the elevator to head to the basement. Her next memory is of firefighters pulling her from rubble near the staircase which was located a far distance from the elevator she was in.
Dozens of bruises and scrapes still cover her body. Her forehead is swollen, and she has two black eyes from the debris that left her trapped. Hermosillo said her neck and back pain make it difficult for her to move.
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The video taken inside the Sandman Hotel after the blast shows a level of the building collapsed down into the basement from the force of the impact.
No cause for the explosion has been definitively established by investigators, but the Fort Worth Fire Department told NBC 5 it was believed to involve natural gas.
“When I first heard about it, it was more like disbelief,” said Edwin Diaz, Hermosillo’s nephew. “I couldn’t fathom it.”
On the day of the blast, Hermosillo’s family learned from the news that the hotel had exploded but wasn’t able to immediately get in contact with her.
Her daughters Marely and Monica went to the site of the crash to look for their mom. They did not learn about their mother's condition until hours later.
“She later told us that she was underneath the rubble for like two hours,” Diaz said.
Some family members were also shocked by the pictures published by the Fort Worth Fire Department that showed the moment Hermosillo was rescued.
“It’s like she was confused, and disoriented,” Diaz said. “She might have been very scared that might have been her last day.”
Hermosillo’s family told NBC 5 that since the explosion she’s been in and out of the hospital suffering from broken bones, headaches, and other lingering injuries.
"She says that she's in pain and that she sees blurry," Marely said. "Whenever she takes her pills, like, that's the only time she feels like, relaxed."
Currently, Hermosillo is at home recovering. She said she sleeps most of the day due to her medications and pain.
Her family said they’ve also been facing internal scars from the incident.
“It’s more like scared, that anything after could still do something to her, like change her life,” Diaz said.
Hermosillo's daughters said they try to avoid asking their mother about the explosion and worry about her injuries.
"[I'm worried] about how she's going to be in the future, about her vision. Because she has double vision," Monica said.
In the past week, Hermosillo has been in and out of the hospital due to her injuries. She said it was not until her second visit that doctors finally determined her right foot was fractured.
According to Hermosillo, she will likely head back to the hospital as her vision and pain have not improved in the last eight days. However, without medical insurance and a source of income, her family said they need support from the community.
"I'm worried about her. And, yes, I'm worried about the bills. I don't want her to stress with anything," Marely said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help with expenses and anyone wanting to help can do so here.
