FLORIDA. THAT’S COMING UP IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. THANK YOU. NEW TONIGHT. PORT SAINT LUCIE POLICE OFFICER SHOT IN THE FACE LAST DECEMBER. SHARED THE STORY TONIGHT OF NEARLY FATAL ORDEAL. SERGEANT ERIC STORY, ONE OF MANY TOLD AT AN EVENT IN FORT PIERCE TO HONOR PEOPLE. A NATIONAL TRAUMA SURVIVORS DAY. AS ARI HAIT TELLS US, HER STORY IS STILL BEING TOLD, BUT SO FAR IT HAS A VERY HAPPY ENDING. THE STAFF HERE AT HCA LONGWOOD HOSPITAL SEES MORE THAN THEIR SHARE OF TRAUMA, AND MANY OF THOSE TRAUMA PATIENTS WERE CELEBRATED HERE ON WEDNESDAY. AND WHILE A LOT OF THEIR STORIES WERE NEW, THERE WAS ONE THAT WAS VERY FAMILIAR. DECEMBER 1ST OF LAST YEAR IN PORT SAINT LUCIE. A SUSPECT SHOT PORT SAINT LUCIE POLICE SERGEANT ERIC LEVASSEUR IN THE FACE WITH AN AK 47. ARE YOU OKAY NOW? FIVE AND A HALF MONTHS LATER, LEVASSEUR IS TALKING ABOUT IT. I WAS BLINDED BY THE SHRAPNEL FROM MY WEAPON THAT GOT HIT. I WAS SHOT IN THE FACE AND IT WENT THROUGH MY JAW, BROKE MY JAW, AND AFFECTED MY HEARING. ALSO, LEVASSEUR APPEARED AT HCA LONGWOOD HOSPITAL IN FORT PIERCE AT AN EVENT CELEBRATING NATIONAL TRAUMA SURVIVORS DAY. IT WAS A LONG AND TENUOUS AND I’M STILL GOING THROUGH SEVERAL SURGERIES RIGHT NOW TO REPAIR SOME MORE DAMAGE. IT WASN’T JUST LEVASSEUR. OTHER SURVIVORS SPOKE LIKE THE MOTHER OF A YOUNG MAN WHO SURVIVED A GUNSHOT. IT’S NOT THE SCARS. IT’S NOT THE PAIN. IT’S IT’S NONE OF THAT. IT’S SURVIVAL. ANGEL WYDRA WAS IMPALED BY A SPEAR GUN BECAUSE OF YOU. I DIDN’T JUST SURVIVE. I GOT MY LIFE BACK. AND I’LL NEVER STOP BEING GRATEFUL FOR THAT. AND AS FOR LEVASSEUR, HE ACTUALLY WASN’T HERE. HE APPEARED ON VIDEO. HE COULDN’T MAKE THIS EVENT BECAUSE HE WAS WATCHING HIS SON GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL. I SAY WATCHING BECAUSE I CAN ACTUALLY SEE. I CAN HEAR, AND I CAN ACTUALLY SCREAM AS HE GRADUATES TODAY. AND IT’S MILESTONES LIKE THAT LEVASSEUR USES TO ENCOURAGE OTHER SURVIVORS TO NEVER GIVE UP YOUR MINDSET IS EVERYTHING. STAY STRONG. YOU HAVE A LOT TO LIVE FOR AND NO MATTER WHAT YOUR INJURIES ARE, YOU CAN ALWAYS GET PAST THAT. AND ON TOP OF THE EVENT HERE AT THE HOSPITAL, THE CITY OF FORT PIERCE ALSO DECLAR
Event highlights survival of wounded Port St. Lucie police officer and other victims of trauma
Updated: 11:18 PM EDT May 20, 2026
HCA Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce hosted an event Wednesday to celebrate National Trauma Survivors Day, highlighting the resilience of patients who have overcome life-altering injuries.Port St. Lucie Police Sgt. Erik Levasseur, who was shot in the face with an AK-47 last December, was one of the survivors to share his story. “I was blinded by the shrapnel from my weapon that got hit. I was shot in the face, and it went through my jaw, broke my jaw, and affected my hearing also,” Levasseur said. Levasseur described his ongoing recovery process. “It was a long and tenuous and I’m still going through several surgeries right now to repair some more damage,” he said. Other survivors also spoke at the event, including Annette Luna, the mother of a young man who survived a gunshot wound. “It’s not the scars. It’s not the pain. It’s none of that. It’s survival,” Luna said. Angel Wydra, who was impaled by a speargun, expressed gratitude to the hospital staff. “Because of you, I didn’t just survive, I got my life back. And I’ll never stop being grateful for that,” Wydra said. While Luna and Wydra told their stories in person, Levasseur spoke via a recorded video.He explained to the crowd that he couldn’t be at the event in person because he was watching his son graduate from high school. “And I say watching because I can actually see, I can hear, and I can actually scream as he graduates today,” he said. He also shared words of encouragement for other survivors. “Your mindset is everything. Stay strong. You have a lot to live for. And no matter what your injuries are, you can always get past that,” Levasseur said. In addition to the hospital event, the city of Fort Pierce declared Wednesday as Trauma Survivor Day.Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here. Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News
FORT PIERCE, Fla. —
HCA Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce hosted an event Wednesday to celebrate National Trauma Survivors Day, highlighting the resilience of patients who have overcome life-altering injuries.
Port St. Lucie Police Sgt. Erik Levasseur, who was shot in the face with an AK-47 last December, was one of the survivors to share his story.
“I was blinded by the shrapnel from my weapon that got hit. I was shot in the face, and it went through my jaw, broke my jaw, and affected my hearing also,” Levasseur said.
Levasseur described his ongoing recovery process.
“It was a long and tenuous and I’m still going through several surgeries right now to repair some more damage,” he said.
Other survivors also spoke at the event, including Annette Luna, the mother of a young man who survived a gunshot wound.
“It’s not the scars. It’s not the pain. It’s none of that. It’s survival,” Luna said.
Angel Wydra, who was impaled by a speargun, expressed gratitude to the hospital staff.
“Because of you, I didn’t just survive, I got my life back. And I’ll never stop being grateful for that,” Wydra said.
While Luna and Wydra told their stories in person, Levasseur spoke via a recorded video.
He explained to the crowd that he couldn’t be at the event in person because he was watching his son graduate from high school.
“And I say watching because I can actually see, I can hear, and I can actually scream as he graduates today,” he said.
He also shared words of encouragement for other survivors.
“Your mindset is everything. Stay strong. You have a lot to live for. And no matter what your injuries are, you can always get past that,” Levasseur said.
In addition to the hospital event, the city of Fort Pierce declared Wednesday as Trauma Survivor Day.
Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News