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News Article Contents
(October 2005)
Olympian Challenges All-Comers
San Diego Union Tribune (April 2004)
Viewer Favorite! *****
The Media Can't Win Against "The Passion."
La Prensa San Diego (February 2005)
Wright's Serves Food Right: Hormone-Free
La Prensa San Diego (February 2005)
Ancient water supply may save us from future droughts
La Prensa San Diego (February 2005)
Big Wheel Keeps on Turning for Ex-Charger Whelihan
JDHawk.com Exclusive (January 2005)
Viewer Favorite! *****
The Groz-- PC friendly, but intellectually dishonest
La Prensa San Diego (December 2004)
CV cheerleaders win national championship
The Star-News (April 2003)
Viewer Favorite! *****
Miracle On Third Ave?
The Ranch (November 2003)
Viewer Favorite! *****
A Journey of 30 Thousand
Houses Begins with a Single Home
The Lake (July 2004)
Viewer Favorite! *****
US Navy invades EastLake
The Lake (January 2004)
Magnuson plays Solloto
-- a Star Rising?
The Ranch (January 2004)
The new Bad Boy is
coming
The Lake (January 2004)
Daydreams
The Lake (January 2004)
Meet your neighbor Shelia
Burrell
The Ranch (December 2003)
John Dí Acquisto, the
man who lived his dream.
The Ranch (August 2003)
Lolita's Opens in Sunbow
The Ranch (August 2003)
Greeter Guards -- What
do they do?
The Lake (July 2003)
Bliss-ball
The Ranch (June 2003)
The Heritage Center has
brought the exotic to Otay Ranch.
The Star-News (June 2003)
The Chula Vista Yacht
Club's Juniors Sailing Program
The Star-News (May 2003)
Trolley victim re-visited
The Ranch (June 2003)
GEM
The Lake (July 2003)
EastLake mourns loss
of South Bay Icon
Unpublished
Sars inspires local inventor
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*unedited version
published by The Star-News on May 9, 2003
Trolley victim re-visited
by J.D. Hawk
It was two years ago this week when Chula Vista's Angelica Maldonado, an 11-year-old
school girl was run over by the San Diego Trolley. It severed her leg diagonally
from the back of the knee to the top of her upper thigh on her right leg. Although
the event was initially covered by the media, not much has been known about her condition
since that tragic day. "I hope after now people will realize that she's a lot
better," mother Maria Hernandez said.
Angelica Maldonado had decided to visit her friend's home across the street from
Harborside Elementary, at the Brentwood Trailer Home Park. When she tried to re-cross
the tracks to wait for her mother, she was sideswiped and dragged by the trolley.
Although some have said that both lights and horns gave warning, it didn't catch
Maldonado's attention. " I didn't see any lights or horns or anything,"
Maldonado said. "I don't know, the only time I ever saw a light was at the last
second."
By a bizarre twist of fate, a parolee named Francisco Ramirez happened to be riding
on that tragic trolley. Ramirez had been attending the same worship service at a
multi-denominational church as Maldonado's step-dad Eddie Hernandez but had never
met Maldonado. "It's kind of strange," Eddie Hernandez said "He's
Catholic and I am Protestant but we would get together to praise God anyway. Who'd
have known he'd be the one to save her life?" Without any formal medical training
Ramirez jumped off the trolley, took a belt and used it as a tourniquet, saving her
life. She was then airlifted to Children's hospital.
Maldonado was in surgery for seven hours while surgeons reattached her leg, but the
surgeons didn't know if they would be able to save the leg. "No, no, no. You
have to keep her leg. ?You have to!" Maria Hernandez remembers pleading. "I
was so emotional, crying so hard that I fell back and my own legs gave out."
Maria collapsed. Maria was thinking how terrible their life had become when she noticed
another family sobbing too. "I think their baby had been stabbed in the neck
and thrown into a dumpster. We were all there in the emergency room crying at the
same time. We must have been some sight". In recovery, she was crushed to see
Angelica full of tubes from the various medical instruments and the dried tears crusted
along Angelica's face, eyes occasionally giving a roll. The next two and a half months
were grueling as Angelica was forced to endure the procedures of an extended hospital
stay which included probing by a myriad of specialists checking veins, ligaments,
muscles and bones. Even sipping water was challenge as she would continually throw
up after each drink. After Maldonado was released from the hospital she was confined
to a hospital bed at home.
After months of rehabilitation she finally began walking again with a brace and crutches,
just in time to attend her grandmother's funeral in Jan. 2002. In addition to the
physical challenges Angelica has had to overcome, she's had to play catch-up with
her schooling because of inability to attend Chula Vista Middle School for a year
and the many difficulties the family encountered in getting a tutor to visit.
Now in eighth grade, a PE teacher has rekindled her spunk and made it possible for
her to participate in sports. "She is one of my star players, she can do anything
anybody else can do except run" Coach Hughes of Chula Vista Middle School said.
Although Maldonado can walk with the aid of a brace, the coach thought she'd excel
at wheel chair sports. "She has done very well at wheelchair basketball and
wheelchair soccer" he said "In fact, Maldonado has even played a little
wheelchair-rugby. " If there was a connection between coach Hughes and Angelica,
it may because coach is himself a wheelchair athlete. Coach Hughes helps disabled
children by working a program at the Otay Recrecreation Center at 3554 Main St.,
Chula Vista . The program lead by Recreational Therapy Director Carmelia Wilson.
" Angelica is great upcoming athelete. I'd like to see more of her," Wilson
said "Our program is steadily growing and scholarships given out for these activities."
Wilson like to more people become aware of the hope the programs offer children.
Angelica has also becomed facinated by more passive activities art and star gazing
since the accident. She spends much of her time drawling pictures of her favorite
cartoons and tigers, by far her favorite animal. She also loves to stare at the constellations
and talks about becoming an astronomer when she's older.
The Hernandez family still has an uphill battle to fight as they have just been informed
that Angelica needs a new and specialized brace for her continied progress. "they
wont tell us how much it will cost or even if our insurance will cover it,"
Maria said. " we keep waiting but we never get answers". The hurdles seem
unending as the home they have lived in their whole life is being sold and they are
not sure where they will live. Eddie Hernandez, who is an electrician, can not find
work and Maria can't afford a place on her wages.
Contact J.D. Hawk |
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