CHICO, Texas — Richard Horvat and Maryann Davis are newly engaged.
“He had told me all he wanted was a first dance. And you know, I was like, oh, we'll see,” Davis said.
But now, instead of planning for their wedding, they’re saving money so Horvat can recover from a horrible accident.
“I just lost a leg, I just lost a father,” Horvat said.
On Oct. 5, Horvat’s car stalled on his way to work near downtown Fort Worth.
“I pulled over the side to shoulder on I-35. Call my dad. I'm like, hey, I'm out of gas,” he said.
His dad, 47-year-old Sonny Johnson, met him on the road. The two went to get gas, then came back to fuel up the stalled car.
“A semi was coming and like, we heard the tire spinning. He hit dead brakes,” Horvat said.
Then he felt the impact.
“I black out and I wake up, I'm on the ground,” he said.
His father was lifeless just feet away.
“I got hit first and I think he was coming to save me or coming towards me and that's how he got hit,” Horvat said.
Horvat was rushed to the hospital.
“It was a seven-hour surgery. They tried saving the leg, they couldn't do it,” he said.
So they amputated it.
“It was like the worst pain imaginable,” he said.
In the days since – he’s felt a lot of pain, both physically and mentally.
"I was a little angry. I was kind of blaming myself and I was just like, maybe if I did this and this and that maybe something else would have happened occurred and this would have happened," Horvat said.
Because he cant drive he’s now out of job and medical bills are mounting. But still – the 20-year-old aspiring preacher says he’s optimistic.
"I really think I started praying about it and I think God really gave me the peace," Horvat said. “You know, I want to make my father proud.”
He’s now focused on coming up with the tens of thousands of dollars he’ll need for a prosthetic leg.
“Once I have prosthetic leg I'll be me again. You know I'll be able to get up, walk, run. You know, be able to do things I enjoyed,” Horvat said.
And eventually having that first dance with his bride.
“He's usually really soft spoken, but throughout all of this he's been very bold and very brave”, Davis said.
You can help Horvat get that prosthetic leg here.