29-Year-Old Nurse Paralyzed in 15-Foot Fall at Abandoned Mansion During Vacation Hike in Costa Rica

A Massachusetts nurse is recovering from life-threatening injuries after a 15-foot fall while vacationing in Costa Rica.

Kiara Diaz, 29, was hiking at an abandoned hillside mansion overlooking the city of Jacó, known as El Miro, when she “fell through the floor and dropped 15 feet below,” according to a GoFundMe.

The fall caused “devastating” injuries, the fundraiser organized by her friend, Samantha Cruz, explains.

“She was having the time of her life exploring the country … and enjoying the experience with two of her friends from nursing school. In an instant, everything changed,” Cruz wrote.

Diaz was left paralyzed after fracturing her spine in two places and also sustained a broken shoulder, according to Cruz. Her two travel companions — both emergency room nurses — immediately began caring for her at the scene before local emergency crews arrived, NBC10 Boston reported.

Cruz told the outlet that the group “spent two hours on the floor, just taking turns stabilizing her spine, because they didn’t want her to move in any sort of way, because they didn’t know the extent of her injuries at that point.”

Diaz is currently being treated at a hospital in Costa Rica and has been deemed unfit to travel home due to the severity of her condition, per NBC10 Boston.

“She has been lying in the hallway without monitoring or surgical intervention since she arrived,” Cruz wrote on GoFundMe. “Being seriously injured in another country has made an already overwhelming situation even harder.”

Diaz now faces “an uncertain and difficult road ahead” as she continues medical treatment and prepares for rehabilitation, Cruz added on the fundraiser page.

“The immediate goal is to arrange a medical flight to bring her back to the United States safely, where she can continue treatment and begin rehabilitation closer to her loved ones,” she wrote.

The GoFundMe has raised $21,652 so far, toward a $100,000 goal to help cover Diaz’s medical care, rehabilitation and travel expenses.

According to the fundraiser, Diaz underwent spinal surgery on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Her family has flown to Costa Rica to be with her, but her doctor has said she still “is not stable” enough to fly back to the United States.

“She stepped backwards and there was a drop that she didn’t see,” Diaz’s brother, Gindember Diaz, told MCVB. He has joined her in Costa Rica as she receives treatment.

“She just wants to get back to the United States,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing.”