Deerfield Girl Recovers From Spanish Train Crash

A Caruso Middle School sixth grader was one of nearly 200 people injured when a train derailed in northwest Spain July 24 killing 79 persons and the community has responded to help bring her home to Deerfield.

Lucia Ruiz, 11, was traveling with her sister, Maria, a South Park third grader, aunt and uncle when the train went off the track in excess of 120 miles per hour in an area where the safe speed was 80, according to a reports in the London Daily Mail and a website set up by family friends.

Lucia has already had two surgeries—one to save her left leg—since being thrown from the train and suffering fractured legs, hip, pelvis, tail bone and skull as well as suffering internal bleeding, according to the Epoch Times.

Maria was uninjured—the only person on the train to avoid physical harm—and both the aunt and uncle are also recovering at this time, according to a family friend. All three spent time in intensive care, according to the website.

Maria was buried under suitcases which may have saved her from harm, according to a statement on the website. The website was set up to help defray the cost of medical treatment and other help Lucia and Maria will need as a result of the experience.

“At this point, it is unknown when Lucia and her parents will be able to return to the U.S. due to the severity of Lucia's injuries,” a statement on the website said. “Recovery will be lengthy and medical bills will stack up.”

Despite the uncertainty, Deerfield Public Schools District 109 is getting ready for the students’ return. “We are preparing our resources to assure a smooth transition when they come back,” District Communications Director Cathy Kedjidjian said. “We will help them with any social and emotional issues they may experience.”

When the crash occurred, Lucia was “tossed around like a rag doll,” according to the Deerfield Review.

“She was basically thrown … they were kind of bounced around within the wagon and then they were thrown out of the wagon somehow,” Ismael Ruiz, Lucia’s father, said to CBS Chicago, according to the Daily Mail. “She was the worst by far and she was very lucky as well because she was one of the first persons that was rescued from the train.”

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