Arya News - An American nurse is stranded in Costa Rica after suffering a catastrophic injury while hiking which has left her temporarily paralyzed, WCVB reported. Massachusetts ER nurse Kiara Diaz, 29, was on the final day of her Costa Rican vacation when she decided to venture with her two friends on a hike ...
An American nurse is stranded in Costa Rica after suffering a catastrophic injury while hiking which has left her temporarily paralyzed, WCVB reported.
Massachusetts ER nurse Kiara Diaz, 29, was on the final day of her Costa Rican vacation when she decided to venture with her two friends on a hike up to El Miro, an abandoned mansion which is perched on a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the nearby town of Jaco.
Diaz Took Major Fall on Trail
Once the group reached the peak, according to Diaz’s brother, Gindember Diaz, Kiara “stepped backwards” without realizing there was a precipitous dropoff. She fell 15 feet, fracturing her spine, breaking her collarbone, and temporarily paralyzing her legs.
Kiara’s friend, Samantha Cruz, told NBC Boston that two hours elapsed between Kiara’s companions calling 911 and the arrival of emergency responders. Luckily, Kiara’s travel partners were both registered nurses who were able to stabilize her until more help arrived. “They spent two hours on the floor, taking turns stabilizing her spine because they didn’t want her to move at all. They didn’t know the extent of her injuries at that point,” Cruz said.
Trapped in Costa Rica
Now, Kiara is under watch at a Costa Rican hospital until doctors deem her fit to travel home to Worcester. Her family is desperate to see her returned home so that she can undergo surgery at a hospital in Boston; but because Kiara has neither travel nor health insurance, the costs of returning her home are exorbitant. Kiara reportedly canceled her policy because it did not cover a necessary medication, and had been intending to find a new plan. “Unfortunately, she canceled it before securing a new one, went to another country, and got injured,” Gindember said. “She just wants to get back to the United States. That’s the biggest thing.”
In a GoFundMe set up to aid with medical costs, Cruz claimed that Kiara has “received very limited medical care” in Costa Rica and at one point had been left “lying in the hallway without monitoring.” Doctors in the Central American country say that Kiara is unfit to fly in her current state. She was scheduled to undergo surgery on Dec. 9, but it’s unclear if that procedure took place. Even after the surgery, Kiara faces an extended period of recovery.
“Being seriously injured in another country has made an already overwhelming situation even harder,” Cruz wrote. “Kiara has spent her career caring for others. As an ER nurse, she has devoted herself to helping people heal and feel safe at their worst. Now she needs that same care and support in return.”
This story was originally published by Men"s Journal on Dec 10, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men"s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.