A 7-year-old girl injured in the Miami boat crash that killed three other girls on a sailing camp was trapped underneath the 60-foot barge that hit them — and is “acutely aware” how close she came to also dying, according to her family.
Calena Areyan Gruber was initially hospitalized in critical condition after managing to swim for safety from the horrific crash last week — and still has “a long and difficult road” ahead to recover fully from her physical and mental wounds, her family’s attorney, Justin Shapiro, told NBC Miami.
“This little 7-year-old girl is devastated by what happened, both physically and emotionally,” the attorney said in an update Monday.
“She was trapped under this barge, she was traumatized and lacerated with open lacerations throughout her body from head to toe,” he said.
“She was acutely aware that she could have died and she repeats that to her parents,” he said.
“Her parents of course are committed to getting her all of the help and care that she needs, but 7-year-old children are not equipped to deal with this kind of trauma, and so it’s going to be a lot of work.”
Calena was on the sailboat with four other girls and their 19-year-old instructor when they were struck by the barge last week.
The girls were out on the water during their final week of a sailing camp at the nearly 100-year-old Miami Yacht club for children ages 7 to 15, according to the outlet.
Mila Yankelevich, 7, and Erin Ko Han, 13, both died the day of the crash. A third girl, 10-year-old Ari Buchman, died days later.
The 19-year-old instructor and another 12-year-old girl were rescued and treated at the scene.
Gruber was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she was in critical condition. Her parents said in an update that she’s since been released.
Calena’s parents, Karina Gruber Moreno and Enrique Areyan Viqueira, told the Miami Herald they’ve been “deeply moved” by the outpouring of support from the local community.
“This is a deeply harrowing reminder of how suddenly and senselessly life can change,” Calena’s parents said in their statement. “In an instant, what should have been a day of joy and connection on the water turned into a source of unimaginable grief.”
The United States Coast Guard is leading the investigation into the crash.
The barge was moving a large crane sitting in front of the tug boat’s pilot house that may have obstructed the tugboat operator’s line of sight, according to the Herald.
