A former paramedic from Madison, Florida, is in the hospital with serious burns after he stopped on I-75 to help a truck driver trapped in a burning wreck on May 22, 2026.

What happened: Joel Alvarado was driving when a truck hit a cement wall on I-75 and caught fire. He pulled over and tried to drag the driver out of the burning truck. While he was doing that, the truck exploded. His pants caught fire, and he was burned badly.

His injuries: Alvarado has second- and third-degree burns on his arms, legs, and hands. Second-degree burns damage the outer and second layers of skin, causing blistering and raw, weeping skin. Third-degree burns go deeper, destroying the skin entirely. Photos from his hospital room show large patches of peeling, raw, and blistered skin covering both legs from the thigh down to his ankles, as well as his hands.

His treatment: In a May 26 update, Alvarado said he was scheduled for surgery the next day. Doctors plan to place cadaver skin — donated skin from a deceased person — over his burns for one week. That temporary covering protects the wound while his body stabilizes. He will then go back into the operating room to have the cadaver skin removed and replaced with his own skin, taken from an unburned part of his body. That second procedure is called a skin graft.

The fundraiser: Alvarado started a fundraiser to help pay for his medical bills and recovery. As of May 26, he had raised $5,249 toward a $10,000 goal from 67 donors.

The path forward: Skin graft surgery for deep burns typically requires weeks to months of recovery, including wound care and physical therapy. Alvarado still has at least two surgeries ahead of him before that process can begin.

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B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.

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