Mail Tribune News - Injured student returns to Belgium

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2000-12-09

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Injured student returns to Belgium Fatigue, stress after wreck were too much A foreign exchange student who suffered two broken arms in a fatal car crash late last month is recovering at home in Belgium. Meanwhile, doctors upgraded the condition of the one Medford teenager who remains hospitalized because of the Aug. 27 wreck. Tim Borders, 17, of Medford, was listed in fair condition Tuesday at Providence Medford Medical Center, where he is being treated for a fractured spine and severe abdominal injuries. The foreign exchange student, Stephanie Marx, 18, left the Rogue Valley early Saturday � despite her desire to stay in the United States, according to coordinators for the Cultural Homestay International program. "I was just sick about Stephanie leaving," said Tammy Carr, who heads up the program locally. "She worked so hard to stay." But fatigue and stress led Marx to decide to return to Belgium, Carr said. The teen would have enrolled as a senior at Phoenix High School, but was injured and hospitalized three days after she arrived. Before Marx left the Rogue Valley, she toured the high school, and some classmates visited her host home. "We promised her as soon as she gets better, she can return" to the Rogue Valley, Carr said. Marx was one of five teenagers injured in a drunk-driving accident that killed Jane Talos, 43, of Talent, on Aug. 27. Talos and the teens were returning from an outing at Applegate Lake when the minivan Talos was driving was struck head-on by a van driven by John Gertsch, 41. Gertsch faces manslaughter, assault and drunken-driving charges; prosecutors say he has at least seven previous drunken-driving convictions. Talos� 14-year-old daughter, Hannah, suffered a head injury in the crash and was hospitalized for several days. Two other teens and Gertsch also were injured. All have been treated and released.   Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds |  Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive  | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA