A 22-year-old student from , India, is currently battling for her life in the United States after a fall of nearly 25 feet from a staircase at a transit station in the area, which has left her in a coma. This situation has led her family to urgently seek financial and travel support.
Lagishetti Spandana: 5 things to know as she fights for life
- Lagishetti Spandana, a master’s student at Elmhurst University in Illinois, reportedly experienced the accident on May 30 while using a staircase linked to elevated transit system, known as the “L.”
- According to authorities and family members, she fell around 25 feet, resulting in serious injuries.
- Spandana, who is originally from Nagarjuna Colony in Naspur, Mancherial district, Telangana, was quickly rushed to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, as per American Bazaar.
- Medical professionals have said that she has sustained multiple hemorrhages, fractures, spinal injuries, bone dislocations, liver lacerations, and other traumatic injuries. She is currently in intensive care and remains in a coma.
- The incident took place merely months before her anticipated graduation. Her father Lagishetti Srinivas said Spandana moved to the US in early 2025 to to pursue higher education and had only a few months left until she would complete her degree.
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Lagishetti Spandana family seeks help
The heartbreaking news has rendered her family in Telangana unable to react. Srinivas and his spouse, Sunitha, have stated that they do not have passports or U.S. visas and are lacking the financial means necessary to travel to America and be by their daughter’s side. According to local media reports, the family has reached out to government officials for help in securing emergency travel documents and financial aid.
A letter from a trauma surgeon at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital has reportedly called on authorities to hasten the visa approval process for Spandana’s parents, enabling them to visit her during this critical time.
Lagishetti Spandana GoFundMe
Community members and friends have initiated fundraising activities to assist with the increasing medical and travel costs. As of Monday, a GoFundMe campaign established by supporters had accumulated over $253,314.
“The extent of her injuries is heartbreaking. She suffered traumatic brain injuries, including bleeding around the brain, severe brain bruising, skull fractures, and injuries to blood vessels supplying the brain. Several ribs were fractured, causing both lungs to partially collapse and requiring emergency chest tube placement. The impact also caused injuries to her liver and spleen, internal bleeding, fractures throughout her spine and lower back, and multiple fractures in her pelvis. She remains unconscious while doctors continue to fight for her recovery,” her page states.
“Unfortunately, her medical expenses are not covered by insurance, and the cost of her critical care continues to grow every day. Her family is facing an overwhelming financial burden during an already heartbreaking time. Her parents in India are desperately trying to travel to the United States to be by their daughter’s side while also struggling with the financial challenges created by this sudden tragedy.”
