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On September 22, in the small city of Tarija, Bolivia, seven-year-old Luis Sossa Vasquez was hit by a runaway car in front of his house and is now in critical condition in a local hospital. He has survived the accident thus far, but it at risk of losing his legs.
Luis and his dad were walking back to their home, when Luis ran ahead, about 20 feet ahead, to get to their front door first. Right as Luis got to the front of the house, a car, which an older gentleman thought he had put in park, rolled down the hill on their street and slammed into Luis and his home. The car broke town the front of their mud-brick (adobe) home and trapped Luis between the car and the rubble. Neighbors rushed to help, but it took 30 minutes to free Luis from the rubble.
At the local hospital, San Juan de Dios, doctors have been trying to repair Luis' legs and treat damage done to his intestines. His legs and pelvis were severely damaged in the accident.
Luis lives with his single father in Tarija, Bolivia, a small city in the south of the country. They have very little, and no way to get Luis the medical care he so desperately needs. We are currently exploring the best options for his future treatment, but the family doesn't have the resources to pay for Luis' treatment locally, let alone pay for him to get treatment in another country (we're exploring options in Argentina, Honduras, and the US).
I will update this page as I get more information on Luis' health, and as we identify estimated costs of his treatment.
You can watch some local news coverage and video footage immediately following the accident here:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1182034561980850
About me, the creator of this GoFundMe: My name is Davis Smith. I lived in Bolivia for two years from 1997-1999 and fell in love with the country and people. I lived with Luis' father's family members while I was there and go back every few years to visit them. They are an extraordinary family that live humbly, but are incredibly tight-knit. Bolivia is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, after Haiti, but has some of the most generous, kind, and loving people I've ever met.
Luis and his dad were walking back to their home, when Luis ran ahead, about 20 feet ahead, to get to their front door first. Right as Luis got to the front of the house, a car, which an older gentleman thought he had put in park, rolled down the hill on their street and slammed into Luis and his home. The car broke town the front of their mud-brick (adobe) home and trapped Luis between the car and the rubble. Neighbors rushed to help, but it took 30 minutes to free Luis from the rubble.
At the local hospital, San Juan de Dios, doctors have been trying to repair Luis' legs and treat damage done to his intestines. His legs and pelvis were severely damaged in the accident.
Luis lives with his single father in Tarija, Bolivia, a small city in the south of the country. They have very little, and no way to get Luis the medical care he so desperately needs. We are currently exploring the best options for his future treatment, but the family doesn't have the resources to pay for Luis' treatment locally, let alone pay for him to get treatment in another country (we're exploring options in Argentina, Honduras, and the US).
I will update this page as I get more information on Luis' health, and as we identify estimated costs of his treatment.
You can watch some local news coverage and video footage immediately following the accident here:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1182034561980850
About me, the creator of this GoFundMe: My name is Davis Smith. I lived in Bolivia for two years from 1997-1999 and fell in love with the country and people. I lived with Luis' father's family members while I was there and go back every few years to visit them. They are an extraordinary family that live humbly, but are incredibly tight-knit. Bolivia is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, after Haiti, but has some of the most generous, kind, and loving people I've ever met.