20-year-old Colombian woman in coma after crash in Stockton, family thousands of miles away
STOCKTON – A Colombian woman has been in a coma for more than a week now after a multi-car crash in Stockton. Now, her family is trying to come and see their 20-year-old daughter as she fights for her life.
Maria Fernanda has been at San Joaquin General Hospital for over a week.
Friends and fellow Colombians are now trying to get her family here with more treatment and healing still needed.
"It's really hard," said Fernanda's older sister, Lina Roa.
She is in Bogota, Colombia, and says Fernanda moved to Stockton to try to find a better life.
"She's the youngest of our family, she's just a girl, she's only 20 years old," said Roa. "In a country so big like the us, all alone."
Fernanda was driving home northbound on Interstate 5 near Eight Mile Road when the CHP said her car broke down.
She pulled over to try and fix it, walked to the front of the car and that's when another car hit her.
Three cars in total were involved and Fernanda was critically hurt.
"It's a really complicated situation. They haven't given us much information because we're not there in person," Roa said.
She's on a breathing tube and a feeding tube.
A friend of hers told CBS13 that she's had surgeries on her stomach and soon on her throat.
But not much can be done with her family nearly 4,000 miles away.
Now, the struggle is bringing them here to watch over her and make important medical decisions that only they can make.
"My parents weren't ready for this news," Roa said. "They're doing a lot of things here, so they can try to go over there. But the money over here in Colombia is little compared to the United States."
They say they're working with the Colombian Consulate in San Francisco, but they'll have to wait at least until Wednesday to find out if they're approved for a special visa to come be with their daughter.
One friend who went to visit her said she was in a way falling asleep. They're trying to keep her active the best they can.
