Two Washington Students Suffer Injuries in Deadly Spain Train Crash

Two college students from western Washington were hospitalized after a deadly high-speed train collision in Spain's Toledo province, south of Madrid, that killed 69 people, including four Americans. Both students attend California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO), and were traveling aboard one of the trains involved in the Wednesday disaster.

One of the injured students, 21-year-old Leah Silver-Fajardo of Seattle, suffered multiple broken bones, internal injuries and burns. Her condition requires extensive medical treatment, while her family has traveled to Spain to support her recovery.

According to information shared by her family, Silver-Fajardo sustained a broken knee, a broken pelvis, multiple fractured ribs, bruised lungs and burns. She has undergone knee surgery and faces further treatment and rehabilitation. The second injured student is from Bellingham.

Silver-Fajardo's older sister, Hannah Silver-Fajardo, described the family's immediate priority as supporting her sister through severe pain and an uncertain recovery process.

"I mean, she's alive. She's in a great amount of pain. We're sort of taking things minute by minute right now. We're trying to find out what this is going to look like moving forward," said Hannah Silver-Fajardo.

The family initially struggled to establish Leah's whereabouts after learning she had been involved in the collision. They spent approximately six hours searching for her in Spain, while friends studying and traveling across Europe visited hospitals throughout Toledo.

Hannah described the emotional impact of waiting for information while separated from her sister in another country.

"The world kind of just stops for a second and I don't even know how to describe it," Hannah Silver-Fajardo told KING 5 from Spain.

She also explained the difficulties of locating an injured family member without immediate access to information from local medical facilities.

"Horrific, not knowing what the next thing was going to look like, what that meant being in a foreign country, not having access to her, just having no idea," Hannah Silver-Fajardo said.

The sisters grew up in Seattle and graduated from Roosevelt High School. Leah is a junior at Cal Poly SLO, where she studies psychology, while Hannah is completing her final year at New York Law School.

Leah moved to Florence, Italy, in August for a semester abroad and celebrated her 21st birthday on October 7. She was visiting Spain during a break from her studies and taking a day trip to Seville when the collision occurred.

Cal Poly SLO confirmed to KING 5 that two university students were aboard the train and were receiving medical treatment. The university also contacted US Embassy officials and study-abroad partners to coordinate assistance.

Matt Lazier, the university's assistant vice president for communications and media relations, outlined the institution's response.

"The university is in contact with U.S. Embassy officials and Study Abroad partners in Spain regarding the tragic incident," said Matt Lazier.

The university also reached out to students participating in study-abroad programs across Spain and Europe to provide support. Hannah said the response from friends and members of the community had helped the family during the crisis.

"It's just incredible to see how many people know her, know of her, are supporting her. It makes us feel like we're not alone in this," Hannah Silver-Fajardo said.

According to The Associated Press, the collision occurred when a moving high-speed train struck another train that had stopped on the tracks. The impact severely damaged several carriages and sent more than 100 people to medical facilities.

Spanish authorities reported that 69 people died, including four Americans and one Canadian. By late Sunday, officials had identified 66 of the victims.

The disaster marked the second deadly collision on the Madrid-Seville railway line during the year. An earlier accident in January killed 46 people, according to The Associated Press.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged an investigation into the latest collision as questions emerged about railway safety in the country.