A young man who was severely electrocuted at his job in Cordoba has thanked blood donors for saving his life.
The survivor, who posts on social media as @jesuscarca_23, made the video to thank the 6,000-plus people who have given blood to help the Toledo rail disaster victims.
He was just 19 when he was seriously injured at a restaurant in Cabra on April 15, 2023.
He fell from a ladder after a suspected electric shock. A witness reported that he was unresponsive and receiving CPR before he was airlifted to hospital.
More than three years later, he has spoken about the blood transfusions that helped keep him alive through his treatment.
‘When I had the accident, I lost a huge amount of blood, and after every operation too,’ he explained
‘When I woke up from the anaesthetic, I would see the bag of blood hanging beside my bed.
‘Today I am still alive because other people decided to go and donate.’
His message comes amid an outpouring of solidarity following Wednesday’s collision between two high-speed trains in Urda, in Toledo province.
More than 6,000 people donated blood in Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid during the first 24 hours after the disaster.
These included more than 2,000 donors in Castilla-La Mancha and around 4,100 in Madrid, where some queues exceeded 40 minutes.
Alongside his video, the survivor thanked those responding to the tragedy, while reminding followers that blood donations are needed throughout the year.
‘Giving blood costs nothing and helps enormously. In my case, it helped me survive my accident,’ he wrote.
‘Thank you to everyone who donates, both now following what has happened in Toledo and throughout the rest of the year.
‘Tragedies requiring those donations happen all the time.’
He ended by sending strength to everyone affected.
The response to the Toledo disaster was so large that some donation centres asked people to stagger their visits to reduce queues and maintain supplies over the following days.
Castilla-La Mancha president Emiliano Garcia-Page also urged people to keep donating, explaining that the limited shelf life of platelets meant further supplies would be needed.
Meanwhile, residents in Urda brought food, blankets and other assistance to those caught up in the tragedy.
