The team of physicians, assistants and medical professionals at Washington Hospital Center that put Charlie Davies back together after his car accident in the early hours of Oct. 13, 2009, didn’t know who he was.
In fact, it was well after resetting Davies’ elbow and inserting a titanium rod in his femur that Dr. James DeBritz, director of orthopedic trauma, got a call from one of his residents, who was on the way home.
“He said, ‘Hey, I think that guy we just operated on is a famous soccer player,’?” De?Britz said.
On Wednesday, Davies made a return to the hospital where his life and career were saved, presenting signed jerseys to his doctors, visiting with patients and staff and making sure they understood that he knows who they are and what they did for him.
“It was about life,” the D.C. United forward said of the month he spent there. “For me, it’s more that I’m so happy to be here and come back from something like I did thanks to these people. That’s why I’m still here.”
