Stonehill College student seriously hurt in bicycle crash while studying in Europe
EASTON – A Stonehill College student was seriously hurt in a bicycle crash while studying in Europe.
Junior Lauren Rauseo was involved in a crash on March 17 in Spain, the college said. Rauseo is studying in Paris, France for the spring semester.
Two online fundraisers have been formed to help pay for Rauseo's transportation back to the United States. According to the organizers, Rauseo suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash and is in critical condition.
According to the pages, which have combined to raise more than $200,000, Rauseo is in a medically induced coma and needs multiple surgeries. The goal is to bring her home to an intensive care unit in Boston.
Stonehill is working with an insurance provider regarding Rauseo's medical and travel expenses.
The college did not release additional details about the bicycle crash.
Rauseo was recently spotlighted by the college after she was awarded a $3,000 grant as part of the U.S. Department of State's Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program.
A Londonderry, New Hampshire native, Rauseo is double majoring in English and communication.
"I believe studying abroad is helping me become a more worldly individual," Rauseo said when interviewed about receiving the grant. "I am meeting a variety of people from different backgrounds and being exposed to new languages and cultures. I am also working hard to become more fluent in French. I've dedicated eight years to learning the language and I'm quite passionate about learning it."
Stonehill's campus ministry recently held a mass to offer prayers for Rauseo.