Two weeks after having most of his face chewed off by a crazed Rudy Eugene near the MacArthur Causeway in downtown Miami, victim Ronald Poppo is slowly recovering. Jackson Memorial Hospital says the 65-year-old is awake and alert, and the hospital has released new photos of his face after undergoing treatment and surgery. Updated: Police may have accidentally been shot by police during the incident.
While the lower portion of Poppo's face remains mostly intact, the upper portion is now covered in scabs and skin grafts. His nose is completely missing. One eye socket is covered in skin, and the other is covered in a gauze pad. You can see a clearer picture of Poppo's face here.
UM/Jackson trauma surgeon Dr. Nicholas Namias and plastic surgeon Dr. Wrood Kassira are part of the team treating Poppo and say he is recovering about as well as could be expected.
In fact, according to the hospital's Twitter feed, Dr. Namias visited Poppo this morning and says the victim has a message for the community: "Go Heat."
Poppo is expected to remain in treatment at Jackson for a few more weeks. Doctors say he is dealing with the emotional trauma well.
"We have mental health professionals to help him with the coping, and he's coping remarkably well," Dr. Namias said.
We've included a clearer photo of Poppo's face on the next page. Be warned that the photo is graphic.
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