TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – After leaping from a second-story window to escape a raging fire at The Social Seminole apartment complex, a recent Florida State University international graduate is recovering from his injuries and processing the traumatic event.
Sujan Swamy recalled his harrowing escape, saying the fire was blocking the front door of his apartment, and there was no other way out aside from the window.
“If you want to be alive, you got to jump,” Swamy said. “You’re going to burn yourself or kill yourself. Jumping from the window was the only option.”
More on The Social Seminole fire
He broke his leg after leaping out of the window and is now preparing to have surgery on Tuesday. A doctor told Swamy he’d likely have to be on bed rest for at least three months to recover, meaning he will end up missing work.
A GoFundMe page was created for Swamy and his roommates, who were also injured, to help pay for expenses related to medical costs.
“As international students, we studied here for like two years at FSU. We put in all our hard work, and all our dreams were shattered right in front of our eyes,“ Swamy said. “It just hurts me and traumatizes me every time. For the last three days, I sit and cry every night thinking about it. When someone is cooking in the kitchen area, I still feel scared.”
Emerson Soutar also lived with Swamy, but was not home at the time. He said the past few days have been difficult for his roommates.
“It’s not just a physical injury thing either. That takes a large toll on your mental health,” Soutar said. “He [Swamy] was talking about how he couldn’t even sleep some nights. Like every time he would close his eyes, he would get flashbacks to that.”
As Swamy reflects on the trauma, he said it is still difficult to process.
“I really pray that, what we are going through right now, I don’t want someone else to go through,” he said.
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