Student Recovering in Hospital
By Kurt Wagner
A student remains hospitalized after suffering a head injury over a week ago while riding home from campus on his longboard, said Campus Ministry Director Fr. Jack Treacy, S.J.
Ezana Tesfu, junior, was transported to the Santa Clara Valley Hospital Neuro Trauma Unit early morning on Oct. 17 after being found unconscious in the intersection of Market and Alviso streets, said Campus Safety Director Phil Beltran. Tesfu suffered a hairline fracture to his skull behind his right ear as well as internal bleeding in the same area, according to his girlfriend Alyssa Vahratian.
The accident occurred around 3 a.m. in the morning after Tesfu had been on campus studying for midterms, said Vahratian. The head injury caused Tesfu to lose memory for almost four days and the last thing he remembers is leaving Walsh Hall right before 3 a.m.
The official cause of the accident is unknown due to Tesfu's memory loss but Campus Safety has treated the incident as nothing more than an injury, said Beltran. Medical respondents found that Tesfu had low blood sugar levels when he was transported to the hospital which may have caused him to faint while longboarding, said Vahratian.
"He's pretty shaken up. He's just really confused why it happened to him," she said. "He's trying to put it together and we're trying to put it together and figure out what happened."
Tesfu was scheduled to be released from the hospital last Wednesday but that date has been pushed back multiple times due to complications involving the internal bleeding behind his ear.
He is expected to make a full recovery but is still weak from the accident and has been using a walker to move around. In addition to double majoring in civil engineering and environmental studies, Tesfu is a member of the Track and Cross Country teams and competed in a race just two days before the accident.
While in the hospital, Tesfu has been receiving daily visits from friends, teammates and coaches. His family is with him and his father, Tareke, flew from Ethiopia last week to be with his son.
"I was gratified to know that his friends on the cross country team, his coach and other friends of his have surrounded him with care and support," said Treacy. "I think that makes moving through a challenging situation easier when one doesn't feel isolated or alone."
Contact Kurt Wagner at jwagner@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.