A 22-year-old Indian student from Telangana is fighting for her life in the United States after falling nearly 25 feet from a staircase at a Chicago-area transit station, leaving her in a coma. This prompts urgent appeals from her family for financial and travel assistance.
Lagishetti Spandana, a master’s student at Elmhurst University in Illinois, reportedly suffered the accident on May 30 while descending a staircase connected to Chicago’s elevated transit system, commonly known as the “L.” Authorities and family members said she fell approximately 25 feet, sustaining severe injuries.
Spandana, who hails from Nagarjuna Colony in Naspur, Mancherial district, Telangana, was rushed to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. Doctors said she suffered multiple hemorrhages, fractures, spinal injuries, bone dislocations, liver lacerations and other traumatic injuries. She remains in intensive care and is currently in a coma.
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The accident occurred just months before she was expected to complete her degree. According to her father, Lagishetti Srinivas, Spandana traveled to the United States in early 2025 to pursue higher education and had only a few months remaining before graduation.
The devastating news has left her family in Telangana struggling to respond. Srinivas and his wife, Sunitha, say they do not possess passports or U.S. visas and lack the financial resources needed to travel to America and be at their daughter’s bedside. Local media reports said the family has appealed to government authorities for assistance in obtaining emergency travel documents and financial support.
A letter from a trauma surgeon at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital reportedly urged authorities to expedite visa approvals for Spandana’s parents so they can visit her during her critical condition.
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Community members and friends have also launched fundraising efforts to help cover mounting medical and travel expenses. A GoFundMe campaign created by supporters had raised more than $44,000 as of late Friday, according to reports.
The incident has drawn attention across the Indian diaspora, particularly among Telugu-speaking communities in the United States and India, many of whom have expressed concern and support for the family as they await updates on Spandana’s condition.