Two Cal Poly students hurt in Spanish train crash

Two students from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo were injured in a high-speed train collision in central Spain on Oct. 28. The crash occurred near Urda, south of Madrid, when a moving train struck a stopped one. At least 69 people died in the accident.

Matt Lazier, a university spokesman, confirmed that the two students are receiving medical care. The university has not released the names of the second student. Lazier said the school is in contact with both families and is coordinating with U.S. Embassy officials in Spain.

Spanish authorities identified 54 of the dead as Spanish nationals. Four Americans and one Canadian are also among the victims. Their identities were not publicly released as of Monday. Authorities have not yet identified three bodies. Three people remain missing, including two Australians and one person from Japan.

One of the injured students is Leah Silver-Fajardo, a 21-year-old junior majoring in neuropsychology. She is from Seattle but was studying in Florence, Italy, this semester. According to a GoFundMe page created by her aunt, Rachel Chernin, Silver-Fajardo has a broken knee, a broken pelvis, a broken femur, several broken ribs, bruised lungs, and extensive scrapes and burns.

Chernin wrote that Silver-Fajardo underwent knee surgery and is waiting for pelvic repair. She has been moved out of intensive care. Chernin noted that the physical recovery will be difficult for a student who enjoys running, hiking, and soccer.

After the crash, the U.S. Embassy called Silver-Fajardo's parents to confirm she was on the train. For a time, the family did not know if she had survived. Her study-abroad friends searched multiple hospitals before finding her. Chernin said the friends then notified the parents.

Silver-Fajardo's mother, Nicole, posted updates on the fundraising page. On Sunday, she wrote that her daughter was in a lot of pain but had started to smile and eat. On Monday, she wrote that Silver-Fajardo was completely immobilized and needed help with basic tasks like drinking water and brushing her teeth.

The Oct. 28 crash is the second major high-speed rail incident on the Madrid-Seville line this year. In January, a train derailed and hit another traveling in the opposite direction, killing 46 people. Search teams with dogs continued looking for victims on Thursday. Cranes moved carriages as police and soldiers searched the wreckage on the gravel slope.