Bastián Jerez, the 8-year-old boy who kept all of Argentina on edge after a violent crash in Pinamar, has finally begun his final stage of recovery. After 136 days of hospitalization and nearly ten surgeries, the child was transferred from the Hospital Italiano de San Justo to a specialized rehabilitation center. His mother, Macarena Collantes, announced it with a mix of relief and emotion: «We are going to the rehabilitation center.»
The accident occurred on January 12, when Bastián was traveling in a UTV vehicle with his father and they collided with a Volkswagen Amarok truck in the dune area of La Frontera, Pinamar. The impact was so brutal that the boy lost consciousness. Two doctors from Tucumán who were passing by, Melina Santillán and Juan José Torres, performed CPR until the ambulance arrived.
Bastián was urgently transferred to the Dr. Pepe Olaechea Hospital in Pinamar, but his critical condition required more complex pediatric care. He was moved to the Don Victorio Tetamanti Maternal and Child Specialized Interzonal Hospital in Mar del Plata, where he stayed for 25 days. «Everything got worse. They discovered more damage in your little body as if everything you had been through wasn’t enough,» recounted his mother, who shared his progress daily on social media.
On February 9, Bastián was airlifted to the Hospital Italiano de San Justo. There he faced new interventions, including the placement of a gastric button for feeding. «It wasn’t as we planned: everything worsened and complications appeared,» Collantes recalled. But the boy proved to be a warrior: «You went from surgery to surgery. You had strength. You wanted to live.»
Now, at the new rehabilitation center, Bastián will begin comprehensive treatment that includes motor, swallowing, and speech therapy rehabilitation. He communicates through gestures and lip movements. He sleeps well at night and the vertigo crises he had «are resolving,» according to his mother. Gradually, they will remove the nocturnal respiratory support and the swallowing cannula.
One of the most anticipated pieces of news is that Bastián will be able to start receiving visits. First, the closest relatives. «He hasn’t seen anyone for almost six months. We are arranging it little by little so that it is progressive. It’s a huge shock,» Collantes explained.
On August 4, Bastián will turn 9. His mother urges caution: «Everything is very gradual. He is adapting to the new center. They have to study him to develop the treatment plan. We are taking it slow.»
Meanwhile, the Decentralized Prosecutor’s Office No. 5 of Pinamar continues to investigate the crash to determine responsibilities. The child’s parents are organizing care and dividing the tasks required by such a long hospitalization. «We are physically tired, but happy,» Collantes concluded.
The case moved the entire country. Even Argentine national team player Leandro Paredes dedicated a video to Bastián, and thousands of social media users sent him stickers to complete the World Cup album, which is now finished.
para mi esto es una cagada 136 dias y recien a la reha? los ricos tienen clinicas privadas al toke y los pibes como bastian se pudren en la publica el sistema de salud es una mierda capitalista abajo el capital asesino fuerxa bastian #FuerzaPueblo
para mi bastian es un guerrero pero estos politicos de mierda no le dan ni 5 pesos mientras se llenan los bolsillos con choripanes y la guita nuestra el nene luchando solo firmado el gaucho