Matías Loses His Arm in Car Crash
Matías is 55 and lives in Tarija (Yacuiba). He is missing a left arm. He worked as a driver but was forced to quit when he was injured in a traffic accident.
One day while he was driving passengers to Tarija, he hit another vehicle on the driver’s side where he had an arm hanging out the window. He was the only one injured and had to pay for the reparation of both cars. To make matters worse, he never received any settlements to compensate him for his limb loss, as the car was his own.
Matías studied until his high school graduation but is not currently working and instead, stays at home with his 3 children – his wife currently supports him financially. He has been terribly affected psychologically as well as physically since the accident.
I was afraid, ashamed, I lost the autonomy of my life, I cannot be independent, I no longer have a job, I have no way to help my family
– Matías
The accident happened 20 years ago but Matías still has not overcome the shock and stress of the accident. He has expressed his desire to go back to work and support his family but needs a prosthesis to help him function and gain back his confidence. He is fully aware that the prosthesis won’t enable him to do all that he could before the accident but will adapt to his prosthesis.
Thankfully, we at Bolivians Without Disabilities were able to donate Matías one arm and cosmetic hand on June 5, 2021.
(Please note that the patient’s name has been changed)
If you would like to help more Bolivian amputees like this one, then please donate now.
