The Tough Road to Recovery for Burn Victim Zachary Sutterfield

SAN ANGELO, TX — The family of the badly burned survivor from San Angelo who was caught in the apartment fire in San Marcos in the early morning hours of July 20 has a long road to recovery, if he survives at all.

Currently, doctors give Zachary Sutterfield, 20, a 50 percent chance of survival, according to a family statement. “However, Zach also was not supposed to survive the first 72 hours after the fire,” the family said, reassuringly.

Not many details of what happened in the early morning darkness as the fire engulfed the Iconic Village Apartments in San Marcos have been revealed. Zach’s mother relayed stories from the first responders who saved Zach that morning. The apartments housed mostly young adults who were attending Texas State University where Zach was visiting because he was planning to transfer from Angelo State in the fall.

A fellow San Angelo Central High School alum, Haley Frizzell, 19, died in the fire. Four others were killed in the fire, including Dru Estes, 20, of San Antonio; David Angel Ortiz, 21, of Pasadena; Belinda Moats, 21, of Big Wells; and James Phillip Miranda, 23, of Mount Pleasant.

It was a struggle to get out of those burning apartments alive that night.

“These kids are the ones who initially told Zach to stop, drop and roll. They helped extinguish the flames he couldn’t get out himself, and then guided him to the ambulance. We are so thankful for them. Hearing how difficult that time was for them was a big part of the healing process for all of us,” said Deona Jo Sutterfield, Zach’s mother. She goes by D.J.

Offering more insight to the horror these young adults faced that morning, the San Antonio Express-News reported that two other victims, roommates Steven Mroski, 21, of Houston, and Zachary Rosenfeld, 22, of Austin, were both hurt when they were forced to jump from a second-floor window to escape the flames in their apartment.

Mroski and Rosenfeld lived on the second floor of the Iconic Village Apartments building 500 where the five people who died also lived.

“The pair [Mroski and Rosenfeld] woke to the sounds of screams, people running and glass breaking, [a lawsuit recently filed] said. The heat from the fire had started to crack their apartment windows and flames were rising through a breezeway outside their apartment, according to their complaint,” reported the Express-News.

The pair met a wall of flames near the front door of their apartment, forcing them to find an alternate escape route, jumping through the second-floor window. The Express-News reported both suffered “severely broken ankles.”

Infamous trial attorney Anthony Buzbee of Houston is representing Mroski and Rosenfeld.

Zach Sutterfield experienced far worse than broken ankles getting out of the apartment where he was sleeping that night. He suffered head trauma and third-degree burns over 70 percent of his body.

“The first responders who helped Zach said he was so polite. They told us he said ‘Yes, sir’ and ‘No, sir’ when he got to the ambulance. Then he asked them to please knock him out,” D.J. said.

The first 72 hours after Zach arrived at Brooks Army Medical Center, or BAMC, in San Antonio were the most critical. “If he will just survive these next three days, we’ll have a fighting chance,” was what we heard then. Now six weeks later, Zach has endured 14 surgeries. He’s had skin grafts, optometric surgeries, neurosurgeries, and plastic surgeries on his face. There is a threat that both of his feet will have to be amputated, but so far Zach has held on to life and his limbs.

“It’s a rollercoaster. He has good days and he has bad days,” said Zach’s dad Karl Sutterfield. “We know we aren’t out of danger, but we hold on to his improvements. Every day he is with us is a good day.”

Zach remains in the intensive care burn unit. Most of the time, he remains heavily sedated to minimize the pain.

“There are lucid moments that he has mouthed ‘I love you’, but he is not awake by any means,” his mom said.

Zach is in physical therapy, a good sign, where he moves his arms and legs, repositions his body, and sits four hours a day in a special burn chair. These tasks help his body heal and allow his skin to readjust.

Zach’s mom and dad are with him for moral support and to encourage him. They have decorated his room with cards and gifts received from friends, family and well-wishers. The young adults who helped save Zach’s life and the first responders who stabilized and transported him to BAMC have visited.

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Above: The hospital room is decorated at BAMC where Zach is being treated. Can you tell which window is Zach's room? (KC Thomas via Zachary Sutterfield's Recovery Page on Facebook)

They visit in the hospital waiting room. There, Zach’s family said hearing the stories about what happened that early Friday morning brings healing to all involved.

The tragedy has placed stresses on the Sutterfield’s finances. While D.J. primarily tends to Zach, Karl still has his job. He started back at work this week. The traveling back and forth from San Angelo to San Antonio for the dad, and effectively having to set up a second home in San Antonio for D.J. isn’t inexpensive.

The family had raised just $10,000 until this past weekend. Last Friday at a special event at the San Angelo Performing Arts Center, another $6,300 was raised.

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Above: Letters to Zach. (Zach Sutterfield's Recovery Page on Facebook)

On August 16, the Sutterfields filed a lawsuit against Iconic Village owner San Marcos Green Investors LLC, the property management company Elevate Multifamily LLC and apartment manager Deborah Jones of Austin. They are seeking damages, including past and future medical expenses.

Like the other lawsuits filed, the family alleges there were no fire alarms or fire suppression systems and the apartment owners and management are liable for maintaining apartments that were “unreasonably dangerous,” the Express-News reported. The Sutterfields are represented by the Dallas law firm of Steckler Gresham Cochran.

The apartments were built in 1970. According to City of San Marcos Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner, unless the apartment owners made major upgrades to the structures, the City of San Marcos basically grandfathered the structures in with the fire code requirements of 1970, or as the ordinances were when the structures were built.

The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation. The Express-News reported that test results might be completed by October.

In a response to a lawsuit filed by another victim’s family, the Houston attorney representing the apartment owners and managers, Jennifer Akre, denied wrongdoing and said “the fire was caused by acts or omission of others beyond their control or legal responsibility,” according to the Express-News.

While health insurance and other insurance for tragedies such as this help defray some of the costs, it is doubtful it will be enough. If the Sutterfields prevail in the lawsuit, it may take years before any settlement is awarded. Then there are caps the defendants' insurance can pay and legal fees that can greatly reduce the money needed for Zach’s future.

Still, the parents are saving and collecting as much money as they can for Zach’s future. Zach’s dad wants all of it to go towards Zach.

The Sutterfields are also mindful of other families. Every year, tens of thousands of parents pack their graduating high school seniors up and send them off to college. The focus of the lawsuit, the Sutterfields said, is to investigate the tragedy in a way that will help prevent a similar tragedy from happening to someone else’s child.

“My number one goal is, I don’t want another parent or loved one to see what I saw on day one,” D.J. said. “We need to educate, and we need to change laws. We don’t want this to happen again. The last 40 days have changed our lives. If it can happen to our family, it can happen to anyone. I sent my son to college never expecting to be sitting here wishing the laws were different.”

Then the she turns back to her son whose dreams were crushed in that early morning inferno in San Marcos. It is a struggle now, and she and Karl have a long road to recovery to travel with Zach.

The parents are prayerful and hopeful their son will survive. Zach has made it through many milestones towards his recovery. In the end, though, what kind of life will Zach have?

“I have this hope…I hope one day Zach walks out of BAMC and changes the world,” said D.J.

To keep up with Zach’s progress, follow Zachary Sutterfield’s Recovery Page. You can donate any amount to his family through a friends and family donation to Zachary’s PayPal by sending your donation to [email protected]. If you use your bank account to fund your “friends and family” PayPal donation, there are no processing fees.

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The date of the lawsuit was updated to from Aug. 23 to Aug. 16, the actual date of the petition.