Man injured in assault in Malaga village still in hospital five months after 'brutal' attack
56-year-old José Carlos from Alcaucín spent more than 60 days in a coma in the Hospital Regional in Malaga city, before being transferred to Axarquía hospital in Torre del Mar and then to the HM Hospital back in Malaga city, where he is still being treated for mobility, coordination and memory problems
More than five months after the brutal assault that took place in the early hours of the morning of 2 July in his home in El Espino, in Alcaucín, in Malaga province's Axarquía area, 56-year-old José Carlos remains in hospital. His family say that although his condition is still serious, he is doing well.
José Carlos is currently in the HM Hospital in Malaga city, where he arrived after a complex hospital journey that began in the city's Hospital Regional, before being transferred to the Comarcal de la Axarquía hospital in Torre del Mar.
José Carlos spent two months in a coma after the "brutal" attack and was progressively awakened by medical teams. Since then, he has made slow progress, but the after-effects are still very obvious. The patient is still connected to tubes to eat and urinate and has problems with mobility, coordination and memory, with episodes of disorientation and mental lapses that hinder his recovery.
He has problems with mobility, coordination and memory, with episodes of disorientation and lapses
"He is improving little by little, but he needs help with everything," explains a close relative. "Sometimes he recognises us and sometimes he doesn't. We can't talk about timeframes because no one can give them. We can't talk about deadlines because no one can give them, nor about the after-effects he will have, he still has several blood clots in his head and his body has to absorb them," the relative adds.
As SUR reported after the incident, José Carlos and his wife, Ana, were brutally attacked in the early hours of 2 July when the alleged assailant, a 21-year-old man of north African origin, broke into their farmhouse. When José Carlos and his wife caught the man in the garden, the alleged thief, armed with a pickaxe found on the farm, first hit José Carlos and then Ana. The couple's daughter, also called Ana, managed to get to safety and alert the emergency services. She then helped her parents while they waited for the ambulance.
José Carlos' wife suffered serious injuries but managed to recover more quickly and was discharged from hospital a few weeks after the incident, as reported by SUR at the time.
Search for the weapon
Dozens of local residents participated in a search of the area that led to the location of the weapon just ten days later, as SUR was able to confirm. The alleged perpetrator has been remanded in custody without bail, accused of an alleged crime of attempted murder and the trial is ongoing.
José Carlos' transfer to HM Hospital in Malaga was in response to the need for specialised care for his rehabilitation. The professionals attending to him insist that recovery will be long and uncertain due to the neurological damage suffered.
His family, who take turns to accompany him, are now focusing their efforts on "celebrating every little advance", although they recognise that the road "is very hard" and that José Carlos continues to depend on total support for the most basic tasks.
