Cuban American recalls regaining freedom after 2015 prisoner swap

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MIAMI - After seeing images of last week's prisoner swap with Russia, a Cuban American man who was part of a prisoner swap in 2015 is now sharing his story of survival.

Victor Barroso Jr. described a deadly accident in Cuba in November 2012 that killed six people and nearly took his life. He was in Cuba to visit family members when he was allegedly hit head-on by a bus.

"I was in a coma for eight days with brain trauma, on life support. They gave no hope for me. So they did like a CPR to take my life support off, and if it wasn't for that CPR, I probably would've been dead," he said.

Barroso's right arm was amputated, and he said he was charged with involuntary homicide, "but they didn't want to show the … police report showing that it was not my fault."

Cuban American recalls getting freedom back

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"The health papers of the person that hit me had .21 alcohol in the system but since I didn't have alcohol and he's a Cuban, I'm an American, he's dead, I'm alive, they made it the United States versus Cuba," said Barroso.

The Cuban government accused him of causing the crash and sent him to prison, where he said he spent 851 days – two years, four months and a day. He described his experience as being stuck in a bathroom "with no light, with no air, with rats, with cockroaches, you don't know if it's Tuesday or Wednesday, August."

"They just want to make you feel that way to try to get you crazy," he said.

Three years later, he was a part of a prisoner swap along with Alan Gross, a U.S. government contractor accused of spying.

He said he "couldn't believe it" when he arrived home and saw the lights of Miami.

"I was still in shock that I'm free and everything that we take for granted that I didn't have, the choices that you can do now. I could eat. I could do whatever I want to do," said Barroso.

It was freedom – something he said he will never take for granted.

"Life is beautiful," he said. "It's just the way you see it. You may see me with no arm, but I don't believe I'm missing an arm. I am me, myself. I live every day like it's my last."

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