She hitchhiked a ride to buy clothes for a new baby she was expecting, and tonight while her newborn daughter is alive, Lydia Rodriguez might not survive. It never made the news but on February 7th the pregnant 26 year old jumped into the bed of a pickup from guinea grass enroute to Orange Walk Town. Before even leaving the village, the driver later lost control of that pickup and Rodriquez was flung from the truck as it flipped over. Under the distress of accident trauma, her baby was delivered safely by c-section. And while the infant child is thriving, she has never known her mother, because mom is on a life support machine. Keith Swift has the story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This afternoon we met Rosita Pasos desperately trying to communicate with her daughter Lydia Rodriquez. e had no luck and that is because for the last two weeks Lydia has been on a life support machine, unable to talk or eat. In fact the only thing this mother has been able to do is wipe away her daughter's tears and hold her hand.
On February 7th - Lydia was 7 ½ months pregnant when she was involved in a traffic accident. She was riding in the pan of a pickup which overturned. The good news is in all of this is that her unborn survived. The family doesn't know if Lydia will.
Rosita Pasos, Lydia's Mother
"She is not in a good condition."
Keith Swift,
We know she was pregnant. Tell us about that.
Rosita Pasos,
"Yes she was pregnant. When she came here was talking, the Tuesday she came, they rushed her from Orange Walk, to here. She had four ribs fractured, she had her collarbone fractured, and her bone is slightly twisted. The Tuesday when she came they took out the baby and she is critical. She had five operations. We just came from Universal Hospital for a CAT Scan and its costing a lot of money."
For Lydia to stay alive she needs money but also a lot of blood. That is where the family says you can help this mother be well enough to meet her newborn daughter.
Rosita Pasos,
"Right they now they have put her at 22 units of blood and we need more blood. She has already used 16 bags and we need more blood, we need medication, right now we need a medication for the fever because she has a high fever. We need a lot of help right now. We need and we would like money because she has many expenses and more to come."
And even worse for the family that as their daughter struggles to stay alive, they don't even know the name of the man who put her here.
Under the law, even though Lydia hitchhiked, the driver of the pickup is criminally liable. They say Guinea Grass police aren't even aware the pickup flipped on February 7th. Police Press Officer G. Michael Reid advised them to make a formal police report. The family does however need help with both blood and money. You can reach them at telephone number 600-6661.
