BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) -- Teresa Ruiz remains in a Springfield hospital recovering from her injuries after a broom sweeper crashed through the wall of her Monte Ne home trapping her and her 2-week-old baby underneath.
Her baby Juan was in her arms at the time of the crash. Juan and Teresa’s other daughter are staying with family in Rogers. They said they are upset after hearing the driver of that broom sweeper tested positive for marijuana.
“It's pretty sad because they didn't do anything about it. I mean I don't know it's sad that they just let him go back to work like nothing happened,” she said.
Selena Joya said it's a miracle baby Juan only had minor injuries. They said doctors still don't if he will have any issues down the road. She said Teresa has been through a lot since that day with injuries to her entire body.
“Suffering from short term memory loss, confusion, just pain throughout her whole body because her bones were crushed. Recovering from surgeries and that's also painful too,” she said.
And all of this has made her very depressed.
“She's two hours away from home. She's not with her family, her kids, the baby. She's not enjoying that time a mother should with their kid, seeing them like holding the baby every day and being with them at night,” she said.
Teresa and her daughter, who walked into living room that morning to find her mom and baby brother trapped under the sweeper, both said they are scared to ever live in the house again.
Joya says Teresa still can't walk. She has an external metal brace that's screwed into her hips.
“Once they remove that they'll know when they can start therapy for her to start walking again. We don't know if she's going to be walking the same, if she'll be needing a cane or a walker like for the rest of her life. We just don't know those things yet,” she said.
Ruiz has an appointment next week to see if they can remove that metal brace that is screwed into her hips. If that happens, they said they hope to move her to a place in Fayetteville for the rest of her recovery.